The Teachers' Lounge (German: Das Lehrerzimmer) is a 2023 German drama film directed by İlker Çatak, who co-wrote the screenplay with Johannes Duncker. Leonie Benesch stars as a teacher tasked with finding out which of her students is responsible for a series of thefts.
It was nominated to compete for the Panorama Audience Award at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on 18 February 2023. Released to critical acclaim, the National Board of Review named The Teachers' Lounge one of the top five international films of 2023. It was nominated for Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards.
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Plot
Students from the 7th-grade class of the idealistic teacher Carla Nowak, a new transfer to the school, are pressured by other teachers to identify which of their classmates could be the most likely suspect for a series of thefts from the teachers' lounge. Carla encourages them to stay silent if they wish, but the other teachers pursue the issue and later force the male students in Carla's class to turn in their wallets for inspection. Upon discovering that a student of Turkish heritage, Ali, is carrying a lot of money, the teachers accuse him of theft; however, at a meeting with Ali's parents, the parents inform the teachers that the money was Ali's allowance, and they accuse the teachers of racially profiling Ali. Later, after witnessing a colleague steal money from the lounge's piggy bank, Carla decides to investigate the theft herself. Using her laptop, she secretly records her jacket and gets footage of an unknown person in a distinctive blouse taking money from her wallet.
