Karlovy Vary Review by Dan Fainaru
(published in SCREENDAILY, 2016, July 6th)
The Teacher addresses timeless moral dilemmas which exist, regardless of any political regime - such as having the courage not to give in to threats, whether veiled or not.
From the shooting: Zuzana Mauréry as Mrs. Drazdechová (KVIFF 2016 The Best Actress Award). Photo by PubRes, 2015.
Smoothly written by Jarchovsky (Hrebejk’s frequent collaborator) and expertly directed, full credit should also be given to casting director Ingrid Hodalova, who has assembled a team of professionals who never look or act like film actors but rather like the neighbors next door.
Maurery handles her character, a nasty piece of work to be sure, with such natural aplomb that she makes Mrs Drazdechova not only perfectly credible but pretty scary too. Clever editing keeps the wraps on the real issues for quite a while and, tight as the script is, it takes the time to explore the particular background of the period and focus on some of the many miseries endured by the Czechs at that time.
Source: The SCREENDAILY