Despite all the pain and self-loathing of its wounded characters, it's a pretty, heartwarming picture that tells us everybody needs somebody to help shatter that ol' boulder for good.
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06/26/09
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The Country Teacher (2009)
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%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:22
Fresh:18
Rotten:4
Average Rating:6.7/10
Consensus: Bohdan Slama's stunningly filmed dramedy is loaded with full-bodied characters and quietly sincere performances.
Theatrical Release:Mar 27, 2009 Limited
Synopsis: A gifted and well-qualified young teacher takes a job teaching natural sciences at a grammar school in the country. Here he makes the acquaintance of a woman and her troubled 17-year old son. The... [More]
Starring: Pavel Liska, Zuzana Bydžovska, Ladislav eedivy, Marek Daniel
Director: Bohdan Slama
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Reviews for The Country Teacher
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10/22/09
It's a movie that demonstrates, if you'll pardon the sports metaphor, how deep the bench is in Eastern European film.
04/03/09
Top CriticHas exquisite cinematography and occasional moments of tenderness, but its characters never truly come to life and its uneven screenplay doesn't fully explore their human struggles convincingly and sensitively enough to be make it an emotionally resonatin
03/28/09
This small, contemporary Czech marvel showcases two bright talents and a sentiment not seen often enough on screen nowadays: sincerity.
08/14/09
It's the kind of film that Hollywood used to excel at but no longer seems interested in making.
08/19/09
A beautifully shot, would-be-penetrating drama about a closeted teacher in a small Czech village falls victim to a wandering plot and muffled characterizatio
03/23/09
Teacher is a comedy-drama that feels real and humane and keeps finding ways to surprise us because its characters are as complicated as real people tend to be.
06/26/09
The film is graced with lovely performances by Pavel Liska as the teacher, Zuzana Bydzovska as Marie and Ladislav Sedivy as the boy.
07/10/09
This sweetly ingenuous film, written and directed by Bohdan Sláma, is a lot less sentimental about cows and flowers than it is about its human protagonists, who fall domino-like in love with churls who won't love them back.
03/24/09
Top CriticSometimes predictable, but it takes a number of surprising turns.
06/04/09
A Checkhovian Czech feature with restrained performances highlights the redemption of a gay teacher who ultimately emerges from the closet.
03/10/09
A psychosexual rebirth occurs in a pastoral setting strewn with hay and intriguing links between human sexuality and insect behavior.
03/26/09
If great movies resulted purely from wizardly technical displays, then Czech writer-director Bohdan Sláma’s The Country Teacher would be a masterpiece to give Béla Tarr pause.
03/25/09
Liska, who looks like a Central European version of the young Harvey Keitel, has a kind of pitch-perfect opacity.
05/21/09
The film boasts subtle performances and curious situations with unpredictable outcomes.
07/23/09
A meaningful though patient drama built upon beautiful shots, a gentle humor and a great performance from Pavel Liska.
07/17/09
Bohdan Sláma's direction for The Country Teacher, a film characterized by beautifully long, languorous takes, has an assured expressiveness that's at odds with the story's bumpy narrative.
03/24/09
The actors are interesting rather than glamorous, their acting style consistently low-key, and their triumphs and failures realized on a human rather than grandiose scale.
08/22/09
The film’s portrayal of farm life as a rugged pastorale lends The Country Teacher a foundation of visceral truth.
03/27/09
Top CriticLatest News for The Country Teacher
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