THE TEACHERS’ LOUNGE is director İlker Çatak’s riveting work about school as a microcosm of society. Carla Nowak (Leonie Benesch) is a dedicated, idealistic young teacher in her first job at a German middle school. Her relaxed rapport with her seventh-grade students is put under stress when a series of thefts occur at the school, and a staff investigation leads to accusations and mistrust among outraged parents, opinionated colleagues, and angry students. Caught in the middle of these complex dynamics, Carla tries to mediate—but the more she tries, the more desperate her position becomes.

In German with English subtitles.