The Teachers' Lounge

2023, 1h 38min, Drama, Thriller

Directors: Ilker Çatak

Stars: Leonie Benesch, Anne-Kathrin Gummich, Rafael Stachowiak

Carla Nowak is a new, idealistic teacher at a German middle school, proud of the trust she builds with her seventh-grade class. When a series of small thefts leads the staff to search students and single out one boy, she decides to investigate herself. Her attempt to catch the culprit pulls her into a maze of gossip, office politics and parental outrage, where every choice seems to hurt someone. The story plays out like a low-key thriller, tight and anxious, about how quickly a safe classroom can turn into a battlefield over fairness and power.