When you are young and you still have a whole life ahead of you, there are many goals you want to reach. Get a degree, find a partner, a place to call your own, start a family etc. But as you grow older and realize these goals, it can be difficult to decide what will be the next step. There is a reason that a midlife crisis exists. Even though the protagonist in The Kindergarten Teacher might not be aware, she’s also suffering from one.
Lisa Spinelli (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is a very experience kindergarten teacher. She’s married and has two children who are at the end of their teenage years. She’s interested in poetry and follows some classes in the evening for it, but doesn’t seem to be very talented. At the end of her working that she hears one of the kids in her class, Jimmy (Parker Sevak), walking around and recite a beautiful poem. It touches her deeply. She sees talent and wants to help it grow. It’s a noble thought, but it doesn’t take very long before she goes too far. She uses Jimmy’s poems during her classes, pretending she has written them. She keeps taking it all a step further and crosses a line. She could potentially lose her job because of it.
Obsession can consume a person and Gyllenhaal manages to portray that. When watching you feel uncomfortable with what is happening and you regularly hope that there is someone who will stop her character. Despite that The Kindergarten Teacher (a remake of a Israelian version I have not seen) is a title which never manages to get underneath your skin. Maybe it was because it was the last film I saw during a festival (after seeing four others which generally disappointed) and was getting tired, but this isn’t a movie that will appeal to a wide audience.
[score5]
Ahh what a shame this wasn’t a great movie – I do like the premise though!
I guess this film confirms that remakes more often than not miss their mark. Pity, because I think Gyllenhaal is a very good actress.