Contender Reviews: "September 5"

by Cláudio Alves

Since many of this year's Oscar nominees haven't yet been reviewed here at The Film Experience, I'll be going over a bunch of them in the coming weeks. Think of it as an AMPAS-minded sibling to Nick Taylor's series of Spirit Awards analysis. To start things off, let's go over the season's one lone screenplay nominee – Tim Fehlbaum's September 5. Once considered a threat for the Best Picture trophy by some major publications, the historical drama failed to meet pundits' expectations – its biggest miss was probably Editing. Today, it premiered on VOD, so it seems like a fitting time to consider the film…

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TIFF '23: “The Teachers’ Lounge” builds a fizzling provocation

by Cláudio Alves

Germany’s official submission for the 96th Academy Awards starts with a students’ rights violation. Between teachers and administration, headaches abound due to a series of thefts with no apparent culprit. By the time we meet them, with no solution in sight, the staff sanctions two teachers to go into a classroom and question the students. When no kid comes forward with a confession, not even after the class representatives are pressured, the educators insist on searching through their belongings. A suspicious amount of money is found in a wallet, paranoia combined with xenophobic distrust toward the child’s Turkish origins. Turns out the money was a present from his parents.

It’s an embarrassment for all, especially Carla Nowak, the teacher whose classroom got raided. New to the school and full of righteous indignation, she sets out to make a point, kickstarting a chain of events that will soon slip out of everyone’s control…

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