TEACHERS LOUNGE THE (F/F) (2023) 

Synopsis

When one of her students is suspected of theft the young sports and math teacher Carla Nowak decides to get to the bottom of the matter on her own. Idealistic, sympathetic and committed to her students, Carla tries to mediate between outraged parents, opinionated colleagues and aggressive students, but is relentlessly confronted with prejudice, cliquey dynamics and divisions, and the strictures of the school system. Things escalate rather quickly and dramatically, not always the way Carla intends. Tightly packaged and crackling with tension, The Teachers’ Lounge is about a lot of things — conformity, rebellion, racism, optics, and intergenerational mistrust. This 3rd feature by İlker Çatak swept up the top prizes at this year’s German Film Awards: Best Film, Best Direction, Best Actress, Best Screenplay. Leonie Benesch, one of the Berlinale’s 2023 Shooting Stars, puts in a breakout performance as Carla, one that will remain with you long after the lights have come on.