While it’s difficult to imagine there will be a better German film––or film, period––this year than Christian Petzold’s Afire, the country went with Ilker Çatak’s Berlinale, TIFF, and Telluride selection The Teachers’ Lounge as their Oscar entry this year. The thriller, which explores power dynamics at a German middle school, is set for a U.S. release from Sony Classics at the end of the year and now the U.S. trailer has landed.
Here’s the synopsis: “Carla Nowak (Leonie Benesch) is a dedicated, idealistic young teacher in her first job at a German middle school. Her relaxed rapport with her seventh-grade students is put under stress when a series of thefts occur at the school, and a staff investigation leads to accusations and mistrust among outraged parents, opinionated colleagues, and angry students. Caught in the middle of these complex dynamics, Carla tries to mediate—but the more she tries to do everything right, the more desperate her position becomes.”
Watch below.
The Teachers’ Lounge opens December 25.