'The Kindergarten Teacher (2018)' is a pretty consistently unsettling experience. Of course, that's by design. It tells the tale of teacher who becomes obsessed with her young student due to his poetry prowess, tackling a bevy of themes in the process. The lead character isn't necessarily 'likeable' but she's certainly understandable; her desires come from a relatively reasonable place - though she obviously takes things too far - and she always feels as though she's doing the right thing. The boundaries she crosses are made all the more uncomfortable for an outside viewer because you don't know her true intentions and, as an audience member, you're constantly kept at just the right distance to be able to question them - though, ultimately, you're given a firm understanding. It is important to state that she doesn't want to harm the child, which is why you can engage with her as a protagonist; her actions may inadvertently be doing so - or heading down that path, at least - which clearly prevents her from being a traditional 'hero'. In fact, I'd wager that most people won't be 'on her side' by the film's finale. Regardless of this, the picture clearly wants to make its central conceit, or debate, seem valid, in the sense that it needs you to believe our protagonist is, in some ways, 'right'. It doesn't quite achieve this, however, because every time she posits her (and, by extension, the movie's) world-view, she comes across as pretentious as opposed to 'enlightened'. She's so caught up in her own small mindset when it comes to what she considers 'cultured' that all of her related pondering and 'talking down' honestly comes across more as "you don't like what I like just because you're not smart enough to understand it... because social media". Still, this can be seen as more a fault of the protagonist than of the piece itself, even if it does somewhat dampen the story's conceptual through-line and its thematically ambiguous ending. I will also say that the lead, despite everything, is still quite compelling to watch. You're never exactly 'rooting for her' but she is quite a complex character and, as such, is quite a fascination. The whole thing is oddly engaging, if uneasily so. It's not exactly entertaining but it's never boring and, despite its strange pace, it keeps you watching until the end. It's not for everyone, that's for sure. Still, it's an interesting flick with a unique premise and a solid execution. 6/10
Review of The Kindergarten Teacher
