Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Zuzana Mauréry | ... |
Mária Drazdechová
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Zuzana Konecná | ... |
Kucerová
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Csongor Kassai | ... |
Kucera
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Tamara Fischer | ... |
Danka Kucerová
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Martin Havelka | ... |
Binder
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Éva Bandor | ... |
Hana Binderová
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Oliver Oswald | ... |
Filip Binder
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Peter Bebjak | ... |
Václav Littmann
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Richard Labuda | ... |
Karol Littmann
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Ina Gogálová |
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Monika Certezni |
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Peter Bartak |
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Jozef Domonkos |
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Judita Hansman |
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Ladislav Hrusovský |
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Since the arrival of the new teacher, Maria Drazdechova, to a Bratislava suburban school in the year of 1983, life has turned upside down for students and parents. The teacher's corrupted behavior and one of the students' suicide attempt that could be related to that matter, makes the school Principal call the students' parents for an urgent meeting that will suddenly put the future of all the families at stake. They are asked to sign a petition to move Miss Drazdechova out of the school. The teacher's high connections within the Communist Party makes everyone feel threatened, but at this point they have no choice but to make a decision: will they dare to go against Miss Drazdechova and stand up for what they believe in at any risk, or will they just remain silent and let things be? Written by LevelK.dk
"The Teacher" is a throw-back to communist times in Czechoslovakia. It's a sinister comedy dealing with the insidious effects even of low-level corruption that crept into everybody's lives and relationships when prevalent scarcity reigned. Mrs Drazdechova, a newly appointed teacher is a street-wise, manipulative woman who manages to extract goods and services from her pupils' parents according to their professional capacities in exchange for preferential treatment and information on upcoming tests. We watch her receiving free hair-styling, household repairs, shopping and domestic errands being done. The students whose parents will not or cannot deliver to her expectations receive very nasty treatment and are side-lined with dire consequences at home and amongst the children in class. Most parents are colluding, defending her and the status quo when it comes to a show-down at a parent-teacher meeting after some parents' tolerance for manipulation was exceeded. In a delightfully satirical twist of the story the resisting parents finally succeed in having the teacher removed from the school. However, complicity at a higher level now kicks in. As in the catholic church where paedophile priests were moved to new parishes, the politically connected teacher is transferred to another school. Besides her previous teaching load, here we witness her promotion to teach ethics as well, whilst in her introductory 'spiel' she yet again demands information from her pupils about their parents' professions! Systemic corruption is maintained.