"Ordinary Classroom", a masterful psychological drama [Enokido Ichiro's Films Akasatana Vol. 53]

This movie was really scary. There's nothing to complain about the acting or direction. As a viewer, I was holding my breath the whole time, wondering what was going to happen, so the moment the end credits rolled, I gasped out in a strange voice. It's a German movie, isn't it? Well done, German movies. I'm not very knowledgeable about the director and screenwriter Ilker Chatak, or the star Leonie Benes, but I can tell they're skilled. It's no wonder it won so many awards, including two at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival.

Actually, I think it's good that this movie is a German movie with no Hollywood actors. I think most people check the names of the actors when they watch a foreign movie. So (unless you're an avid movie fan) I think people tend to steer clear of German movies with all the actors they don't know. But this movie is much more realistic without the actors who are familiar to them. It has a kind of documentary-like impact. It really makes you think that it's an incident that happened in a German "ordinary classroom." So don't be intimidated by the "German movie" or the "unknown actors." It's okay. In fact, it's better that way.

The story is set in a middle school in Germany (the system is different from Japan, but it's a school of that age). A theft occurs in the school, and students in the class of the new teacher Carla (Leonie Benesch) are suspected. The students are adolescents, so it's an extremely delicate issue. In Germany, it's even more delicate because there are many immigrant children. Carla hesitates about what to do, but her fellow teachers respond in a very insensitive manner. One male teacher encourages the students to report the "culprit," just like the "Stasi" (secret police) of East Germany in the past.

*As far as I know, German acquaintances hate "snitches" more than anything else in the world. Especially those of the generation who know that the East German "secret police" organized informants in all sorts of places, including workplaces and friendship circles, to oppress and control citizens. In some cases, they hate "snitches" about social evils more than the evils themselves. I think that the scene in which the male teacher "searches for the culprit" touched the hearts of the audience when the film was screened in Germany, taking this background into account.

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The school where Carla is assigned adheres to a "zero tolerance approach." In the script, the principal mentions this. This is also called the "zero tolerance approach," and is an educational policy that tightens penalties, which was created in the 1970s in the United States as a measure against classroom collapse, gun possession, drug contamination, etc. It is a literally zero-tolerance approach to school management, with detailed penalties and swift punishment for students who violate the rules, without exception. In the movie, students' belongings are checked during class (the contents of their wallets are checked). Of course, this creates an uneasy atmosphere in the school. Watching, I feel nervous that this will inevitably develop into a problem. It's a clever introduction to psychological drama.

So, Carla, who was suspicious of such a situation, took a certain action. She set up a recording with the camera of the PC she left on the desk. Well, I guess you could say that she set up a security camera in the staff room. The scene of the theft was caught on it. Well, the video itself was unclear in some parts, but the "culprit"'s clothes had a very distinctive pattern. A female staff member at the school was wearing clothes with the same pattern. What do you think, readers, this is very difficult to handle. I wondered what I would do if I were in Carla's position. Bringing it to light would mean treating the staff member as the "culprit." At the same time, it would mean admitting that the "secret filming" was set up to suspect a family member. Unless there was very solid evidence, "unclear video" is weak. And even if there was solid evidence, in the worst case scenario, the new employee (outsider) could turn the entire inward-looking organization against him.

Her actions lead to Carla finding herself in an increasingly difficult situation. She is isolated. Neither the principal nor her colleagues help her. Carla is made out to be the "bad guy." In reality, she was supposed to be the "righteous person" who questioned the insane methods of the "zero tolerance method." But it backfires. The story unfolds at a fast pace like a roller coaster. It gives you goosebumps.

I'm interested in group psychology, the process in which people's minds suddenly start moving in one direction due to some unexpected trigger, and can't be stopped. Even if each person doesn't mean to, when you look at it as a whole, it seems to be one abnormal movement. That's what panic psychology is like. And I think this is a very suitable subject for a movie. There is a seed of anxiety, and it swells, sprouts, and grows a trunk so thick that it can't be controlled. There are too many examples to list, but "Ordinary Classroom" (22) is definitely a masterpiece.

Text: Ichiro Enoki

Born in 1959. Born in Akita Prefecture. Debuted in a commercial magazine with ``Takarajima'' in 1980 while studying at Chuo University. Since then, he has serialized columns and essays in various magazines, and continues to this day. Also active on radio and television. Twitter @ichiroenokido

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"Ordinary Classroom"

Released nationwide from Friday, May 17th at Shinjuku Musashinokan, Cine Switch Ginza, Cine Libre Ikebukuro and other theaters

Distribution: Albatross Film

© if… Productions/ZDF/arte MMXXII

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