The Kindergarten Teacher | Rotten Tomatoes

The Kindergarten Teacher

R

2018

1 hr. 36 min.

Drama

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List

90%

103 Reviews

Tomatometer

67%

250+ Ratings

Audience Score

A teacher sees such great promise in her 5-year-old student that she goes to unreasonable lengths to protect his talent.

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Critics Consensus

Elevated by a bravura performance from Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Kindergarten Teacher is one American remake that retains its impact the second time around.

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French C

What did I just watch? It starts off interesting and then NOTHING of interest happens for the next hour. So the theme is just that even a kindergarten teacher can be creepy? Good to know - not worth the time.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

04/12/23

Full Review

Ann E

I absolutely loved this movie! Most of the time I found myself thinking about the variety of ways you can interpret an issue, weigh the sides and still be confused. For me it was very thought provoking. (If it wasn't thought provoking, you probably didn't like the movie.) The ending spoke volumes for me. Spoiler alert….. Will this little boy ever have anyone see him and his genius like his teacher did? Who knows…. 🌺 I just finished watching it couple hours ago and I still can't stop thinking about it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/09/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I don’t understand all the rave reviews! This movie had such a bland, flat vibe. The ending was abrupt like a lifetime movie ending.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

12/29/22

Full Review

isla s

This is a subtle film. It takes a little while to focus on who is clearly the child of primary focus, character wise (the teacher aside). I really rate Maggie Gyllenhaal as an actress - she is quite expressive and it shows that she cares for and truly wants to encourage the child's creative talent. I should point out that there is more going on than first seems but I won't elaborate, obviously so as not to provide any spoilers of course. However, there is also a darker side that is suggested at times and that made me curious to find out more about the childs family/background. The music played (mostly stringed instruments) gives it a slightly spooky and sort of claustrophobic angle as well. There is some poignant dialogue and I thought this film was well made, hence I'd recommend it - the only downside I felt was that there are unanswered questions by the end, which may frustrate you.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

tom e

As a former school teacher, she crossed so many legal and social lines early on in the movie, it made me very uncomfortable. The movie was very well done, but the "creepy factor" was troubling throughout.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A remake worth watching. A kindergarten teacher sees and encourages the talents of one of her students who is a gifted poet. The dynamics in her personal family, with the student's father, and a poetry instructor are what make this story so interesting.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

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Sara Colangelo

Director

Maggie Gyllenhaal

Lisa Spinelli

Gael García Bernal

Simon

Michael Chernus

Grant Spinelli

Anna Baryshnikov

Meghan

Rosa Salazar

Becca

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The Kindergarten Teacher: Trailer 1

2:25

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Clarisse Loughrey

Independent (UK)

Although it remains largely faithful to the original, there's a fresh source of vitality to be found in Gyllenhaal's presence.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 10, 2020

Full Review

Wenlei Ma

News.com.au

Maggie Gyllenhaal never disappoints, and that's certainly true in The Kindergarten Teacher, an understated character study with a lot to say but no easy answers.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 21, 2019

Full Review

Sandra Hall

Sydney Morning Herald

[Colangelo] has planed away the story's hard edges and given us a very earnest translation of what should have been a highly provocative theme.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 8, 2019

Full Review

Serena Seghedoni

Loud and Clear Reviews

The Kindergarten Teacher is an emotional, intense, definitely dark and sometimes even disturbing journey whose story still remains partly unwritten, and this is the true genius of Colangelo's painfully accurate analysis of human behaviour.

Rated: 5/5

Jul 29, 2023

Full Review

Milana Vujkov

Lola On Film

Glimpses of an inner universe about to implode in slow motion (...) living through the creative world of another, with ferocious intensity of reclaiming one's own.

Rated: 5/5

Jul 30, 2021

Full Review

Bianca Garner

In Their Own League

If you're looking for a good drama then The Kindergarten Teacher is worth seeking out.

Feb 3, 2021

Full Review

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Synopsis

A teacher sees such great promise in her 5-year-old student that she goes to unreasonable lengths to protect his talent.

Director: Sara Colangelo
Executive Producer: Lee Broda, Zachery Ty Bryan, Christopher S Burke, JoJo Chehebar
Screenwriter: Sara Colangelo
Production Co: Pie Films
Rating: R (Some Language and Nudity)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 12, 2018

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