In Sara Colangelo’s The Kindergarten Teacher Maggie Gyllenhaal gives the performance of her career, which has been filled with so many stellar ones.
Gyllenhaal play’s Lisa Spinelli, a Kindergarten teacher in Staten Island. As the film begins we are introduced to Mrs. Spinelli as a loving, supportive, outstanding teacher of the five to six year old children in her class. You see her greatness as she tells the kids stories, leads them in sing-alongs, and even helping them face paint.
Spinelli approaches her home life with a lot less enthusiasm. Spinelli struggles to communicate with her husband and fails at getting her teenaged children to engage and participate in intellectual activities with her.
This wears on her, so she enrolls in a poetry class to help her express herself.
The film’s plot begins at the end of one her school days when one of her students begins pacing back and forth, almost trance like, while muttering words. As Spinelli listens to her student, Jimmy, she discovers he is reciting a poem. An original poem coming from the top of his head. It turns out to be brilliant. Spinelli is blown away and begins to question Jimmy’s nanny if this is something he usually does. She asks her to help her journal any future poems Jimmy recites.
We later see Spinelli recite Jimmy’s poem to her poetry class claiming it as her own. The class and the instructor are mesmerized by the words, the voice and the structure.
As the film continues Spinelli tries to pull more poems from Jimmy. With every new poem Jimmy gives her, Spinelli turns around and brings them to her poetry class and is lauded and gushed over by her classmates and especially the professor, played by Gael Garcia Bernal.
As the poems become greater and more numerous Spinelli develops a sort of infatuation with Jimmy. She becomes very critical of Jimmy’s Nanny and Father and constantly pulls Jimmy out of class to encourage him and steer him in a way to meet her guidelines for her next poetry assignment.
As the infatuation grows, Spinelli begins to spiral out of control with her family, her job and the relationship with Jimmy.
Spinelli is a very flawed character who makes some very terrible decisions in the film. We start to see her destroy her life and act incredibly selfish. On the surface she is a very unlikeable and bad person, but Colangelo’s incredible direction and script create a character and Gyllenhaal’s performance force you to care so much for her.
You should hate her, but you feel so much for her. You understand the reasons for all her actions. You admire her for her passion and reasoning and drive. But as the film reaches the climax you want to scream at the screen and beg her, please no!
It’s impossible to imagine anyone else playing this role. Gyllenhaal is perfect. She is so tinder with the kids, but so rigid at times. You believe everything she does and it’s hard to watch her fall apart.
It’s one of the best performances I’ve ever seen at any Sundance and if this film gets the credit it deserves she will be in Oscar consideration next year.
This film is something not to be missed. It’s an incredible commentary on culture today. The lack of appreciation of art and talent and something truly special. It begs for brilliance to be recognized and celebrated. It’s such an intelligent film that is exhilarating at times and heartbreaking.
The brilliance of this film will hopefully be celebrated.
