Ilker Çatak brought us Stambul Garden in 2021 that we saw earlier this year. An interesting film but this 2023 effort marks a dramatic step forward in quality and talent marking Çatak as one of the present and future stars of German cinema.
This film takes place almost entirely in a school in Germany and involves a series of events related to some thefts. The principal and her helpers have a zero-tolerance policy towards this and can be seen early on in the film putting pressure on two class reps to reveal who they think is the guilty party.
Teacher Carla Nowak (Leonie Benesch), new to the school, is somewhat shocked by this and tries to balance things up by being open and discussing matters but this ends up backfiring on her. Apart from the thefts among students, the same thing is going on among the staff and Carla observes a teacher stealing from the honor piggy bank that is used when you help yourself to a coffee. She sets up an experiment leaving her jacket in the staffroom with her wallet inside a pocket and her computer camera running. When she returns, money is missing and on the film we see a person with a distinctive blouse ferreting inside the jacket. This person is Mrs Kuhn, a secretary whose son Oskar is in Carla’s class. Carla confronts her, she denies the actions and the matter is referred to the Principal (Anne-Kathrin Gummich) who suspends the woman. All hell breaks loose. The teachers are divided with some feeling the school should be tougher on protecting them and others like Carla are sensitive to the effect on the students and the rights of all those involved.
The students also demand more transparency from the school but at the same time fuel the flames of the scandal by publishing incomplete or incorrect news in the school news bulletin or simply by gossiping erroneously about what has happened. Even the parents get involved and Carla, who is acting with the best intentions feels that everything she does makes things worse not better.
The film basically uses the school as a microcosm of society and shows how careful we have to be these days in our communication and how easily serious matters can get out of hand especially when some people lie but insist they are being victimized. (Read Trumpian tactics).
Benesch is excellent in the lead role, sure of her values at the start but run down by a sort of societal gaslighting. Leonard Stettnisch as Oskar is notable as are many of the other children.
Çatak’s script co-written with Johannes Duncker is a gem and the whole film is a taut edgy affair almost like a thriller but one concerning moral values. Marvin Muller’s edgy music adds to the tension and Judith Kaufmann’s camerawork makes for a climate of tension and claustrophobia.
A very satisfying 90 minutes of film on ethical issues facing us all today.
4 stars 2 plusses
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