The Kindergarten Teacher

Dir: Sara Colangelo

2019

**

I adore Maggie Gyllenhaal and I’m continually frustrated that she doesn’t make as many films as her brother. Even though I’m usually dead against western remakes of ‘foreign’ films but was looking forward to The Kindergarten Teacher because of her involvement. She appears in so few films, it’s clear she chooses only the quality scripts. However, The Kindergarten Teacher falls far from what it sets out to achieve. Maggie Gyllenhaal plays Lisa Spinelli, a kindergarten teacher from Staten Island who is struggling with feelings of dissatisfaction in her life. She is in a loving yet passionless marriage with her husband Grant (Michael Chernus), and her teenage children, Josh (Sam Jules) and Lainie (Daisy Tahan), are distant with her. Lisa attends a poetry class every week led by Simon (Gael García Bernal), but her poetry is dismissed as derivative. One of Lisa's students, Jimmy, is routinely picked up late from school by a wayward babysitter. One day, Lisa overhears Jimmy reciting a poem he wrote while he is waiting to be picked up. Lisa reads the poem at her poetry class, where her classmates and Simon are struck by it and compliment Lisa on her talent. Lisa decides that Jimmy is a prodigy, and begins to dedicate her time to nurturing his talent. Lisa asks Jimmy's babysitter, a part-time actress named Becca (Rosa Salazar), to write down the poems that Jimmy recites. Becca complies, but Lisa begins to feel that Becca treats Jimmy like a baby and that she is obstructing his ability to grow into his talent. Lisa gives Jimmy her phone number and tells him to call her anytime that he has a poem. Simon invites Lisa to meet him, and tells her about a poetry reading in Manhattan, where she will have to read two of her poems in front of an audience. Lisa and Simon then have sex in his office, with Simon's attraction to Lisa being a byproduct of what he believes to be her unique artistic genius. Lisa meets Jimmy's father Nikhil (Ajay Naidu) and tells him about Jimmy's poetry. Although Nikhil is happy about his son's intellect, he wants Jimmy to have a normal, practical life. Lisa encourages Nikhil to fire Becca and offers to watch Jimmy for a few hours after school every day, which Nikhil gratefully accepts. One night, despite Nikhil's request that Jimmy be taken to baseball practice, Lisa takes him to the poetry reading instead, where his poetry is well-received. Simon, however, is upset that Lisa lied about writing the poetry, and tells her to leave the class. Lisa and Jimmy return home late, and Lisa puts Jimmy to bed on her couch. The next day, Nikhil calls Lisa, angry at her for lying about the poetry reading and for not bringing him home afterwards, and informs her he will be taking Jimmy to another kindergarten. The next morning, Lisa goes to Jimmy's house, and follows him to his new kindergarten, where she convinces him to leave with her. They drive to a motel near a beach up north, where Lisa tells Jimmy of her plan to go across the border into Canada. Jimmy appears to be compliant with her plan, but while she's in the shower, he calls 911 and tells them he's been kidnapped. Lisa attempts to dissuade him, telling him that the world will never understand his talent, but gives Jimmy the address of their motel anyway while sobbing quietly in the bathroom. The police arrive and presumably arrest Lisa; they place Jimmy in the front seat of a squad car, where he says "I have a poem" but nobody hears him. It’s an interesting story with several layers to it; some that work and some that don’t. I didn’t care much for the representation of the teacher as it reminded me of the horrible expression that ‘people who can’t, teach’ which I’ve always found disrespectful and particularly mean. Like with professions, you get good ones and you get bad ones but I would wager everything I have that the good outweigh the bad. That said, the teachers that really go that extra mile and nurture talent are possibly in the minority. Everyone had that one special teacher. While Lisa fits the first stereotype, she also fits the latter. This was the first character flaw. Gyllenhaal played the character perfectly but the character was badly written from the beginning. Lisa’s decent into kidnapper for the good of the child comes from nowhere and the representation of a mental breakdown (for want of a better description) is far to simple and happens far too quickly to be taken seriously or to convince the audience. I also hate to say this but the kid who plays Jimmy can’t act. It’s hard to understand Lisa’s enthusiasm for a child who essentially just sits there and looks off camera for his next instruction. I feel horrible for saying it but I’m afraid it’s the truth. The film doesn’t match Gyllenhaal’s talent, so it all comes crumbling down. I think Gyllenhaal comes out of it unharmed but its frustrating to see such an actor surrounded by amateurs. The real issue is the complete lack of suspense or tension. I’m not suggesting that it should have been a thriller or anything, as it was it was rather calm and realistic which fits the idea best, but while the audience can probably guess that Lisa would never harm Jimmy, her kidnap attempt is treated so trivially that it takes away any impact the situation should have. It’s too linear and so monotone, the severity of the situation seems to go unnoticed, and I don’t think that was the intention. I like a bit of ambiguity but this film is so ambiguous that I feel that none of these issues were noticed when they should have been. It’s a remake, so the film makers must have seen the original but it almost feels like the film was filmed shot by shot against the storyboard, without any question that the realisation might not match the original idea. It’s not often that you see such a great performance of a character who is completely unconvincing. I probably should have watched the original first but after this I’m not sure I’m going to bother.