The Kindergarten Teacher

Released Jul 31, 2015

1h 59m

Drama

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35 Reviews

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250+ Ratings

Audience Score

A young child's gift for poetry makes him an object of fascination for his kindergarten teacher. Her desire to protect and nurture his talent from a world that bulldozes purity leads her to claim some of his work as her own.

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Critics Consensus

The Kindergarten Teacher's crypticness can needlessly feel like homework, but Nadav Lapid's provocative direction and committed performances give this tale of mentorship and possession a disquieting sting.

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Audience Member

I kind of expected that this movie would not bother me as much as the American remake, because I watched the remake first and knew what to expect this time. However, I was wrong. This version of The Kindergarten Teacher is basically the exact same story with only a handful of differences, so it still made my skin crawl. Watching this woman make all the wrong decisions about how to behave with a student was infuriating yet again. However, this version feels more stark and lifeless. A big reason for that is Sarit Larry who I don’t think is a very strong actress, as she doesn’t bring much emotion to her performance. And I’m comparing the film to one featuring Maggie Gyllenhaal (a very good actress,) so naturally this version is going to feel a bit weak in comparison. I also struggled a bit with the poems in this version. It’s possible something is lost in the translation, but some of the language used by this 5-year-old kid is way too advanced. Again, I do recognize that it could be a translation misstep or even a cultural difference, but I wouldn’t expect a child of that age to even know some of these words, let alone use them effectively in a poem. The poems they utilized in the American version had a beauty to them, but only contained words that a child of that age would know. To sum up, while the remake is a movie I hated because of how awkward and uncomfortable it made me feel while watching, the original The Kindergarten Teacher was even worse. I can’t see myself recommending this version of the film to anyone.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

06/11/20

Full Review

Audience Member

I don't know how to not sit on the fence about this. It was way too obvious what was going to happen, and I'd have liked to see this more from the Teacher's perspective (ie, what was the relevance of the disfunctional family?).

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/07/19

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don k

This was/is a directorâ(TM)s movie. The cast takes direction well; especially the kids. All characters are credible, and the performances are enjoyable throughout (the director's hand never slaps the viewer), and the boy in the starring role was a real find.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

"La Maestra de Kínder" es una enigmática y perturbadora cinta proveniente de Israel, acerca de una maestra llamada Nira (Sarit Larry) quien está convencida que su alumno de 5 años de edad llamado Yoav (un excelente Avi Shnaidman) es una especie de poeta prodigio. Esta no es la clásica cinta del maestro y el alumno. Esta es una obra compleja que aborda temas como la creatividad, la obsesión y el desdén que la sociedad contemporánea tiene por el arte, además de ser una cinta hiperrealista, sexual, sensual y de una oscuridad cruel y perversa. "La Profesora de Kínder" no es para todos los gustos, pero es un trabajo envolvente que lo perseguirá después de ser vista.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

Full Review

Audience Member

"La Maestra de Kínder" es una enigmática y perturbadora cinta proveniente de Israel, acerca de una maestra llamada Nira (Sarit Larry) quien está convencida que su alumno de 5 años de edad llamado Yoav (un excelente Avi Shnaidman) es una especie de poeta prodigio. Esta no es la clásica cinta del maestro y el alumno. Esta es una obra compleja que aborda temas como la creatividad, la obsesión y el desdén que la sociedad contemporánea tiene por el arte, además de ser una cinta hiperrealista, sexual, sensual y de una oscuridad cruel y perversa. "La Profesora de Kínder" no es para todos los gustos, pero es un trabajo envolvente que lo perseguirá después de ser vista.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The story of one teacher trying to save the poetry in a small kindergarten child especially when the surroundings are such that it does not encourage the poetry. She goes to the extent of kidnapping the child. the problem with the film is the unpratical behaviour of the main protaganist and the sluggish pace.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

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Nadav Lapid

Director

Sarit Larry

Nira

Avi Shnaidman

Yoav Pollak

Lior Raz

Nira's husband

Jil Ben David

The Poetry Teacher

Ester Rada

Miri

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J. Hoberman

Tablet

The internationally acclaimed filmmaker's new 'The Kindergarten Teacher' takes Jewish insularity to terrific extremes.

Aug 16, 2017

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David Lewis

San Francisco Chronicle

A perplexing but all-too-human psychological drama ...

Rated: 3/4

Nov 5, 2015

Full Review

Marsha Lederman

Globe and Mail

Poetry is dead - but maybe a five-year-old boy can save it, with the help of his kindergarten teacher.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 14, 2015

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Nicholas Bell

IONCINEMA.com

The Kindergarten Teacher manages a delirious tone of intrigue with this uncomfortable social drama.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 20, 2020

Full Review

Alberto Abuín

Espinof

Some of the poetry used is the work of the director himself, from his school days, autobiographical overtones in a film that is subtle to the core, as is the entire sexual subtext. [Full Review in Spanish]

Apr 23, 2020

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Rubén Rosario

MiamiArtZine

Even as it grows more and more perplexing, the movie is never less than fascinating, right up to its WTF finale.

Aug 22, 2018

Full Review

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Synopsis

A young child's gift for poetry makes him an object of fascination for his kindergarten teacher. Her desire to protect and nurture his talent from a world that bulldozes purity leads her to claim some of his work as her own.

Director: Nadav Lapid
Screenwriter: Nadav Lapid
Distributor: Kino Lorber
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Hebrew
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 31, 2015, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 7, 2016
Runtime: 1h 59m

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