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The Kindergarten Teacher

The Kindergarten Teacher

Drama · 2018

Lisa Spinelli is a Staten Island teacher who is unusually devoted to her students. When she discovers one of her five-year-olds is a prodigy, she becomes fascinated with the boy, ultimately risking her family and freedom to nurture his talent.

Movie details

The Kindergarten Teacher

2018 Drama 1h 36m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.5 / 10

Community rating

Lisa Spinelli is a Staten Island teacher who is unusually devoted to her students. When she discovers one of her five-year-olds is a prodigy, she becomes fascinated with the boy, ultimately risking her family and freedom to nurture his talent.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Kindergarten Teacher?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Sara Colangelo

Written by

Sara Colangelo · Nadav Lapid

Maggie Gyllenhaal

Maggie Gyllenhaal

Lisa Spinelli

Parker Sevak

Parker Sevak

Jimmy Roy

Gael García Bernal

Gael García Bernal

Simon

Michael Chernus

Michael Chernus

Grant Spinelli

Rosa Salazar

Rosa Salazar

Becca

Ajay Naidu

Ajay Naidu

Nikhil Roy

Anna Baryshnikov

Anna Baryshnikov

Meghan

Court is in session

Put The Kindergarten Teacher on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.