THE KINDERGARTEN TEACHER

Out 1 july / CERT 12 / 96 mins

Maggie Gyllenhaal brings her signature charm and chills aplenty to Sara Colangelo’s slow-burn thriller about a child prodigy and his overly invested mentor. Gyllenhaal plays the latter, an aspiring poet by night, caring teacher by day, and frustrated mother and wife in-between. the answer to her problems comes through Jimmy (Parker Sevak), a shy pupil with a disarming knack for stringing words together. upon realising his genius, Lisa vows to protect his faculty at all costs, even if those costs involve breaking the law and some serious ethical codes. However uncomfortable The Kindergarten Teacher becomes, Colangelo counters it with dark humour and a dash of empathy, and doesn’t waste the talents of her star for a second.

Not since Secretary has Gyllenhaal delivered a performance this guttural, and though at times terrifying, you’ll be watching through fingers to see what she’ll do next.