Teacher

This movie is a good example of what is going in the world today. There are campaigns against bullying. Bullying effects people from childhood to adulthood, from the start of school to the workplace. I am not familiar with the actors of this movie, but I recommended to friends as a good movie to watch. I am sure that anyone who watches this movie will remember when they were bullied. Bullies are everywhere.

In a film that is supposed to carry a message about bullying, why on earth would the scenario writer or the director pose a lie about Ramadan? In a random conversation that has nothing to do with the plot, the girlfriend says:" everyday they slaughter a goat and at the end of Ramadan the streets will be full with blood, which is hard on someone who is vegetarian, hahah" .. A big lie of course that has nothing to do with the plot! It's funny how a film about bullying would practice bullying against people for whom Ramadan is sacred and represents a month of spiritual elevation!

The problem with "Teacher" is that the filmmakers could never make up their mind how to approach the serious topic of bullying. Was this primarily a social drama? Was it dark comedy? Was it a horror picture? Was it a revenge/action picture? The film combined genres into a mishmash of cinematic forms. The strength of the film was in the interesting set of characters and the attempt to expose bullying, especially for young people at home and in school. The film was successful in portraying the life-damaging consequences of bullying. We saw this theme unfold through the lens of the protagonist, the English teacher James Lewis. We watch him try to get students to grapple with the question of victimhood in their study of Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice." Like Shylock in the play, Lewis feels that he is an outsider to his world after his own history of abuse at home and at school. Now, in a leadership role, Lewis finds himself in the position to do something about stemming the abuse that he witnesses in his classroom. Sadly, Lewis was not a very likable character himself, based upon his strange behavior and the inept way that he seeks to help the young couple of Preston and Daniela. The film's ending takes a bizarre and head-scratching turn with Lewis turning the film into a kind of "Death Wish" revenge saga. The filmmakers deserve credit for raising consciousness about bullying. While it may not be endemic in society to the degree that it is depicted in the film, it is important to understand how any form of bullying may result in a lifetime of damage to a fragile psyche. One of the best scenes in the film was the confessional of Arabella, who opened up to Lewis about her own history of abuse. Lewis's callous response was surprising, given his own passivity in the face of abuse. He should have responded to her with compassion. Instead, he berated her, she left the bar, and never reappeared in the film. It was in the poor handling of moments like this one that the film let its audience down.

There is exactly no doubt that Teacher was very low budget. There is also no doubt that it had liberal leanings and symbolism (i.e. the rich, one-percenter white guy who likes to collect firearms is the villain; the common folk are the victims; etc.). And some of the acting was not real great and a bit melodramatic (that being said, I thought David Dastmalchian was very good in the lead role). However, if you can get past all of that, then you will probably find many of the elements and issues raised in the film pretty compelling. For example, the film touches on multiple themes that plague our society in the here and now (both physical and cyber bullying, suicide, emotional and physical abuse of a child, divorce, and so on). I was impressed with what the filmmakers were able to accomplish on such a shoestring budget. It is better than many theatrical releases.

James Lewis (David Dastmalchian) was bullied as a child. He has mood swings, a drinking problem, and is getting divorced. He goes to great lengths to protect two students that are being bullied by the school's top pitcher. You may never grow tired of watching films and bullying, but I do. This one was one of the most boring of the lot. It follows the theme of the character of Shylock. Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity.