The Kindergarten Teacher

Maggie Gyllenhaal stars as Lisa, an unfulfilled teacher who discovers one of her students has a gift for poetry that sends her into a downward spiral of obsession. The film rightly sits on the shoulders of Gyllenhaal's towering performance, which finds a lot of depth in-between the lines. While her behaviour and the events of the film become increasingly outlandish, her subtlety makes you believe in her motivation. There is no doubt Lisa's actions are wrong, but the emotions displayed on screen speak to a very human fear of inadequacy, and the film opens up an interesting discussion as to how far a child's talent should be nurtured. Solid support comes from Gael García Bernal as Lisa's poetry teacher, and of course Parker Sevak as the intriguing prodigy. While slightly less compelling than the Israeli film it is based on, The Kindergarten Teacher is an engrossing drama thanks to the devoted performance of its star.