Karlovy Vary Review by Alissa Simon
(published in The Variety, U. S. edition, 2016, July 11th)
The prolific Czech director-writer duo Jan Hrebejk and Petr Jarchovsky (“Cozy Dens,” “Divided We Fall,” “Kawasaki’s Rose”) return to top form with this compelling Slovak-language dramedy.
The KVIFF 2016 Best Actress Zuzana Maurery from Slovakia (Mrs. Drazdechova, The Teacher). Photo by PubRes, 2015.
The prolific Czech director-writer duo Jan Hrebejk and Petr Jarchovsky (“Divided We Fall”) return to top form with the compelling Slovak-language dramedy “The Teacher.” Set in Bratislava during the final decade of communism, it examines the abuse of power at a middle school. Zuzana Maurery (named best actress at Karlovy Vary) tears into the part of a lifetime as a terrifying instructor who heads the local Communist party and uses her pupils to manipulate their parents for her own personal benefit. Critical appreciation should help this intelligent and universally resonant crowd-pleaser to graduate into niche arthouse and broadcast markets offshore.
Source: The Variety
See also
Interview with Jan Hřebejk:
Filmmaker Jan Hrebejk on Communist-Era Drama ‘The Teacher’
(by Ed Meza, published in The Variety, 2016, 9th July)