The Kindergarten Teacher

Due to the excellence of its acting, direction and screenplay, 'The Kindergarten Teacher' is frequently uncomfortable to watch. It tells the story of Lisa, who has become constrained by the routine of her job, frustrated with her grouchy teenage kids and bored by an overweight husband. In response, she has enrolled in an adult education poetry writing program to broaden her experience of life. Unfortunately Lisa has little talent herself - and when she overhears one of her young pupils Jimmy composing a short poem, she presents it to her class teacher as her own work. When he expresses admiration for its strong imagery, she decides it's her duty to foster Jimmy's gift, which leads her into dangerous territory after she runs into parental opposition.

It's easy to see the film as a metaphor how yearning for truth and beauty can turn an ordinary person into an outcast, as Lisa's encouragement of Jimmy swiftly bypasses appropriate behavior and becomes obsessive. When Lisa's poetry teacher reprimands her for being a dilettante, he fails to see how she's willing to sacrifice everything for the art she loves, while he uses poetry as a means to seduce his students. At its conclusion, poetry has certainly broadened Lisa's experience of life, but not in a way she might have wished or anticipated.

Gentle and subtle portrait of a kindergarten schoolteacher (Maggie Gylenhaal) who discovers a child prodigy with an extra ordinary poetry talent.

What makes this movie interesting is not the success story of this child's talent, but the many failures the kindergarten teacher herself has suffered in her life, in trying to become a good writer. Now she wants to own this kid's talent, compensating for her own shortcomings in writing.

It is an intriguing, subtle picture, worthwhile watching, yet missing in excellence, because of a lack of credibility of the story at certain crucial plot turns. This story is not very believable near the end, and as a result, the drama starts lacking as well.

For example: I simply can not believe any schoolteacher would go as far as taking one of her schoolkids to her own house and letting him stay overnight, without alerting the parents first.

Therefore the biggest downfall of this story is that it lacks in a believable plot turn at a crucial dramatic moment near the end.

Dont get me wrong, the end is beautiful allright, but it fizzles out a bit as well. Such a shame, because this story had all the ingredients in becoming a gem.

It is still a very interesting, touching picture, definitely worthwhile watching, but it unfortunately is missing in excellence...

Maggie Gyllenhaal gives a stellar performance in The Kindergarten Teacher. This movie was a touch watch, but it was oh-so-worth it. It was very slow and methodical. I'm laughing at all the one-three star reviews because it's clearly people who were on their phone half the time or just haven't ever seen a movie which actually makes them feel something for a change. I don't normally post reviews because why should anyone care about my opinion, but I couldn't let this great movie get bogged down by fools who coooompletely missed the point the movie was trying to get across.

The 6.7/10 on IMDb is disappointing to me. This film is not exactly the genre I am typically drawn too, but it proceeded to instantly peek my interest by performing well fundamentally. The score was eerie when it needed to be, and it was chipper and enticing the rest of the time. There was nothing crazy in this film and it had no huge plot twists, but that didn't stop it from building and building until I just couldn't wait to see what happened next. The characterization was what really made The Kindergarten Teacher shine. Only two characters really needed development, and they got ALL of it. I was enthralled in their relationship. Give this film a chance even if you are not a fan of dramas.

Great respect to Maggie Gyllenhaal for taking on this role, it may be the most unique and complex one I've seen this year, and she does it justice and then some. It's an incredibly complicated role, one that could have been played in so many ways, and she delivers a tour de force.