The Kindergarten Teacher (Sara Colangelo)

[Ezee E]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZDIxNjIwNjktZTQzNS00ODI1LT kyZGItNDhkYjJlM2FhODcyXkEyXkFq cGdeQXVyMTMxODk2OTU@._V1_.jpg

IMDB (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6952960/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_1)

[Ezee E]

There's some fascinating things going on in this movie, with perception of potential greatness, and trying to avoid failure or simply being amongst the rest. I think Gylenhaal's "Lisa" is fully aware of what she's doing, but simply doesn't believe the worst will happen because of the parents' own lack of awareness.

Movies like this is what will make Netflix start to stand out as something truly special. You may have to do the work in finding these little gems on your own, but this one was a nice find.

[Winston*]

I disliked this. Gylenhaal is very good, but I don't like films where actors and filmmakers imagine how tragic it must be to be a regular person with a regular job,rather than an "artist". The whole thing felt phony and condescending to me (probably amplified because I basically have the title character's job).

[Peng]

Gyllenhaal's mesmerizingly fixated performance helps add enough psychological heft to the narrow story (and this trajectory's predictability is somewhat negated by its step-by-step naturalism, except maybe for the poetry teacher's character). I still feel like it's a missed opportunity that the film is more of a character study rather than a two-hander; if the kid isn't too much of a blank slate (whether by design or performance), this might have a chance of adding complexity to become something more. Do love the hauntingly sad penultimate scene from him though. 7/10