NPR

In 'The Kindergarten Teacher,' Gyllenhaal's Nuanced Performance Earns A Gold Star

Writer-director Sarah Colangelo's film features a finely calibrated performance from Maggie Gyllenhaal as a teacher obsessed with a student. The result is a "keenly excruciating" tragedy.
Nobody, not even the rain, has such small hands: Jimmy (Parker Sevak) and Lisa (Maggie Gyllenhaal) in <em>The Kindergarten Teacher.</em>

Lisa Spinelli loves small children — their innocence, their enthusiasm, above all their promise. But The Kindergarten Teacher's protagonist, achingly played by Maggie Gyllenhaal, knows that most 5-year-olds don't grow up to be particularly creative or even interesting. Exhibit A: herself.

This keenly excruciating drama, a faithful remake of an Israeli film of the same name, opens aptly

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR4 min read
What Took Him So Long? Colin Finally Likes Penelope Back In 'Bridgerton' Season 3
Bridgerton is many things — successful, uneven, entertaining — but it is, critically, obedient to the requirements of particular romance tropes. In the first season, when Daphne married Simon, that was a "fake relationship." In the second season, whe
NPR9 min read
How 'I Saw The TV Glow' Made A 'Teen Angst Classic' Soundtrack For The Ages
The newly released psychological horror film I Saw the TV Glow possesses a star-studded original soundtrack that stands on its own as a great, angsty album.
NPR2 min read
And The Winner Of The 2024 Tiny Desk Contest Is...
Nearly 7,000 independent artists submitted to this year's Tiny Desk Contest. Meet the Sacramento artist that rose to the top.

Related Books & Audiobooks