The Teachers' Lounge Director Addresses Theories and That Ending

As part of Collider's FYC screening collaboration with Landmark Theatres, we got to spend an evening with German filmmaker Ilker Çatak to discuss his fifth feature, The Teachers' Lounge, now nominated for Best International Feature Film. The road to the Oscars wasn't an easy one, though. In fact, the co-writer and director tells Q&A host Steve Weintraub that he believed this could be his last film, citing his own vulnerabilities and self-assumed "mediocrity."
In The Teachers' Lounge, Leonie Benisch plays Carla Nowak, a dedicated first-time school teacher who displays a unique idealism among her peers and cultivates an easy rapport with her students. Ms. Nowak's relaxed approach to her job is upended when a series of thefts are pinned on one of her students (Leonard Stettnisch), leading to mistrust and accusations from faculty, parents, and students alike. This manhunt prompts Ms. Nowak to take matters into her own hands, but her investigation goes sideways and causes even more contention.
Check out the video above or the transcript below for the full Q&A where Çatak shares the film's journey from the Berlin International Film Festival to becoming a contender for the 2024 Academy Awards and standing alongside cinema idols like Steven Spielberg and Christopher Nolan. He talks about the choice to keep Carla Nowak's private life private, the challenges faced when directing a cast of children, and how the editing process transformed the film. He also addresses theories and comments from Letterboxd and shares details on his next project, Yellow Letters.
The Teachers' Lounge is in the running for Best International Feature Film this year against Matteo Garrone’s Io Capitano (Italy), Wim Wender's Perfect Days (Japan), J.A. Bayona's Society of the Snow (Spain), and Jonathan Glazer's The Zone of Interest (UK).
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[@justjuanreader]

My Favorite movie of the year by far, absolutely loved it especially having been a teacher myself. What a wonderful piece of work!

[@paulfeldem]

I love that he mentioned Uncut Gems as a film of similar structure and character. My first thought after finsihing The Teachers Lounge, was that it reminded me of Uncut Gems and the way they both just gove you a heart attack

[@arzoomishra8065]

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL INTERVIEW!

[@taiwanreporter]

First interview I saw with Çatak. It's an excellent conversation, he comes across as a precise filmmaker and a very thoughtful and kind person. Still, I felt hugely let down by the film's ending. Especially after everything that happened for 90 minutes before was so on point and gripping. I hear what people are saying about questions being left unanswered on purpose, but sometimes - and this is one of those cases - that comes across as being hesitant to make some ultimately necessary bold decisions, and then trying to sell it as having special artistic value.

[@ruszki]

I don't know which questions you mean exactly, but regarding who stole stuffs in the school, it matters only to the viewer. The damage was already done to the participants regardless of who did it. The same true for Anatomie d'une chute. Things are destroyed in these situations, many times irrevocably, regardless of what is the truth.

[@m_c5169]

Ha wants to be a teacher joke. 🤣 However, the lead teacher does stumble so much that is not permitted in a well-structured institution.

[@angeles9938]

are you talking about UK or German`s institutions....?