I kind of expected that this movie would not bother me as much as the American remake, because I watched the remake first and knew what to expect this time. However, I was wrong. This version of The Kindergarten Teacher is basically the exact same story with only a handful of differences, so it still made my skin crawl. Watching this woman make all the wrong decisions about how to behave with a student was infuriating yet again. However, this version feels more stark and lifeless. A big reason for that is Sarit Larry who I don’t think is a very strong actress, as she doesn’t bring much emotion to her performance. And I’m comparing the film to one featuring Maggie Gyllenhaal (a very good actress,) so naturally this version is going to feel a bit weak in comparison. I also struggled a bit with the poems in this version. It’s possible something is lost in the translation, but some of the language used by this 5-year-old kid is way too advanced. Again, I do recognize that it could be a translation misstep or even a cultural difference, but I wouldn’t expect a child of that age to even know some of these words, let alone use them effectively in a poem. The poems they utilized in the American version had a beauty to them, but only contained words that a child of that age would know. To sum up, while the remake is a movie I hated because of how awkward and uncomfortable it made me feel while watching, the original The Kindergarten Teacher was even worse. I can’t see myself recommending this version of the film to anyone.

I don't know how to not sit on the fence about this. It was way too obvious what was going to happen, and I'd have liked to see this more from the Teacher's perspective (ie, what was the relevance of the disfunctional family?).

This was/is a directorâ(TM)s movie. The cast takes direction well; especially the kids. All characters are credible, and the performances are enjoyable throughout (the director's hand never slaps the viewer), and the boy in the starring role was a real find.

"La Maestra de Kínder" es una enigmática y perturbadora cinta proveniente de Israel, acerca de una maestra llamada Nira (Sarit Larry) quien está convencida que su alumno de 5 años de edad llamado Yoav (un excelente Avi Shnaidman) es una especie de poeta prodigio. Esta no es la clásica cinta del maestro y el alumno. Esta es una obra compleja que aborda temas como la creatividad, la obsesión y el desdén que la sociedad contemporánea tiene por el arte, además de ser una cinta hiperrealista, sexual, sensual y de una oscuridad cruel y perversa. "La Profesora de Kínder" no es para todos los gustos, pero es un trabajo envolvente que lo perseguirá después de ser vista.

"La Maestra de Kínder" es una enigmática y perturbadora cinta proveniente de Israel, acerca de una maestra llamada Nira (Sarit Larry) quien está convencida que su alumno de 5 años de edad llamado Yoav (un excelente Avi Shnaidman) es una especie de poeta prodigio. Esta no es la clásica cinta del maestro y el alumno. Esta es una obra compleja que aborda temas como la creatividad, la obsesión y el desdén que la sociedad contemporánea tiene por el arte, además de ser una cinta hiperrealista, sexual, sensual y de una oscuridad cruel y perversa. "La Profesora de Kínder" no es para todos los gustos, pero es un trabajo envolvente que lo perseguirá después de ser vista.

The story of one teacher trying to save the poetry in a small kindergarten child especially when the surroundings are such that it does not encourage the poetry. She goes to the extent of kidnapping the child. the problem with the film is the unpratical behaviour of the main protaganist and the sluggish pace.

Regardless of what those said-to-be the agenda about the current Israeli materialistic social value attached in the background. This is a rather long & winding journey. Hence, twist & perverse.

An odd exploration of art and artist, The Kindergarten Teacher's most notable contribution may be its camerawork...which is almost a character in and of itself. The plot lags, the characters perplex, but the questions persist. It is not a flawless film, but it sure is interesting. And hard not to watch.

By night, Nira(Sarit Larry) attends a creative writing group. By day, she is a kindergarten teacher. One of her charges is five year old Yoav(Avi Shnaidman) who displays a prodigious talent at poetry which Nira talks about with Yoav's nanny Miri(Ester Rada) who also wants to be an actress. Aside from pointing out that there is nothing more dangerous than a failed intellectual(which is a better explanation for Nira's actions than simple empty nest syndrome), "The Kindergarten Teacher" also has quite a few things to say about the class structure in Israel. Writer-director Napav Lapid then takes those expectations and subverts them neatly throughout, even though he has a tendency to rely on extreme close-ups a bit too much.

The premise for The Kindergarten Teacher is a strange one in which a 5-year-old student of the titular character is a prodigy poet, and his teacher attempts to give him a better life. The primary subject of this film is this teacher's clear, unhealthy obsession with this child, which we never fully come to understand, but it is extremely unsettling. Early in the film we see this teacher attend what seems to be a class on poetry, and she uses various poems by the young child in her kindergarten group as her own work. It is unclear whether this is to make sure the child's poems have merit or if it is to simply submit something to class as her own work. These poems seem to be impromptu, but it is clear as the film goes on that at least some planning or method is behind what he "writes" since he will pace back and forth and then announce he has a poem and start to recite it. The teacher is a hypocrite since she criticizes the child's nanny for reciting his poems in auditions while she herself is also using the poems as described in the previous paragraph. Eventually the teacher makes the situation more about the child than about her, bringing him to a poetry seminar of sorts in order for him to be noticed by people who will actually appreciate him for what he does, unlike the boy's father who the teacher disagrees with. What makes this film intriguing is the state of desperation the titular character delves into as she becomes more and more involved in the boy's life. The actress playing the teacher plays the part with a cold, emotionless demeanor, suggesting she needs or wants a child in her life as she is lifted up around the boy. Towards the end of the film, there are clearly so many insecurities in her character as she is in a deteriorating state of mind, and this is the main strong point of the film.

Obnoxious film is done in by really annoying lead character. Kindergarten teacher, desperate for a poetic connection, finds it with a five year old boy.

What's on your mind, Nira?