When it comes to movies surrounding a classroom, there is always the sense of envious or evil deeds to bring out the best in students. This can be from the side of a student or the side of a teacher. Teacher’s Pet tangos with many complicated aspects. Within the writing of the film is a twisted plot where a teacher will do anything to feel he has power. Directed by Noam Kroll, this is Teacher’s Pet, an indie film of psychological suspense surrounding a battle between a student and a teacher—the level of risks is high.
Teacher’s Pet focuses on a senior named Clara (Michelle Torian). She is growing up in a home that has a blend of domestic and physical abuse, but she is smart and a devoted student. Her new teacher is Mr. Heller (Luke Barnett). He takes the role of an English teacher and begins to bring out all kinds of strange writing assignments—many of which have weird grading scales and a lot of long and extended pages of composition. Clara becomes a favorite of his. With that, he tells her that if she works as his assistant, it will help her out with grading and chances for a scholarship. The overpromises and the shady behavior carry layers of moving parts to create a mischievous scenario.
As Clara begins to go down the road of pushing herself, Mr. Heller becomes more aggressive. He begins trying to get her to bring out her hate in her writing. He also has some hidden secrets that are disturbing. When lines are crossed, the cat-and-mouse game only gets tighter. Mr. Heller begins to punish Clara academically when he does not get what he wants. The film possesses a psychological dynamic that makes the audience wish for some retribution for the teacher. I will say that I found the film to be eye-opening with much of the disturbing backstory of Mr. Heller. There are more than just strange behaviors in his role as a teacher however, as his dark side outside of the job comes into his working world as well.
Teacher’s Pet is quite stellar. The level of misdirection in the performances of Torian and Barnett is irresistible. The horror and anxiety track feels real. The film does not have hidden gems, as it brings out the horrid truth with overt bangs of terrorthat will surprise audiences. Of course, though the plot may be silly, the execution is well-written. It is a weird formula for success that is smothered with abusive tactics. Then there is a student that draws the line, and from there, she finds even more strangeness. The confrontations go forward from there. Once that happens, the free-for-all between the lines and lies topple like crazy. Teacher’s Pet holds no barriers. It is astounding. Three-and-a-half out of four stars.
Movies with Tarek 