TEACHER: David Dastmalchian Anchors Piercing Bullying Thriller

Whether it be through physical violence, behind a screen, or spreading a rumor, bullying comes in numerous fashions. Initially, there are two established forms: Direct (bullying that occurs in the presence of a targeted individual) and indirect (bullying not directly attacking the individual, but spreading damaging rumors blemishing a person’s reputation). This kind of behavior is never healthy, for those being bullied and for those who are the bully. The eternal effects of bullying impacts both sides, with the bystander also being potentially plagued by regret. There’s a fleeting sense of superiority the bully will relish, and when his fragile ascendancy recedes, the bully, if consistent, will come back for more.

In Adam Dick’s tense drama, Teacher, the bullied individuals are pitted against a ruthless bully, whose family has all the money in the world to shield the truth or assuage the unsavory outcome. But a borderline sociopathic English teacher will leave the metaphors and adjectives in the classroom and instead, he’ll contemplate more extreme measures to protect his two vulnerable students — who have endured so much bullying to the point of partial blindness and attempted suicide.

“They make you give in. Eat their poison bit by bit.” These are the startling words of James Lewis (David Dastmalchian, who you first saw in The Dark Knight, and who finally gets a lead role), and these words soon introduce us to a younger James as he’s seen running away from bullies. These bullies hold nothing back, and in this frenetic scene, the bullies push James’ face into a nearby pond. It’s brash, it’s harsh and it effectively demonstrates the brutality of the bullies. Shifting back to modern-day, James is now a high school English teacher. He’s going through a divorce, and he has to move out of his home by the end of the summer, but he remains composed in class and seems to care about his students — but maybe he cares too much, and a vendetta seems to steadily emerge.

There are a few students, in particular, who are given the most screentime. Tim Cooper (Curtis Edward Jackson) is the alpha male baseball pitcher, who’s unnaturally truculent. In a way, he’s a persistent student, deliberately disrupting James’ class with soft-spoken insults and emitting a kind of carelessness that’s been fostered by a wealthy family who frequently throws money at their problems (of course). Preston (Matthew Garry) is a timid and dorky student invested in photography. Daniela (Esme Perez) is a socially inept student, who can’t catch a break. Preston and Daniela are in the same class and find themselves becoming friends. Gradually, they begin developing feelings for each other, but that doesn’t cease the unbridled judgment and hazing of high school, which is mostly orchestrated by Tim.

The bullying only gets worse, and the faculty, for whatever reason, brushes it off. Being a victim himself, James doesn’t have a tolerance for bullying, and he sets out to stop Tim and put an end to his fury — but at what cost? When does James cross the line and become the one thing he has always detested?

Class Is Now In Session

English teacher James Lewis (Dastmalchian) is currently teaching Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice to juniors at Prairie Trail High in suburban Chicago, trying to engage the class in a discussion about Shylock, and whether he should be categorized as a victim despite being the play’s antagonist. Seen through flashbacks (R.J. Daniel Hanna’s editing meshes the past with the present smoothly), Mr. Lewis was a sufferer of bullying, and his father was abusive to his mother. So it does make sense why Mr. Lewis would try so hard to protect those who are being ridiculed. But outside of class, James is going through a divorce because he has anger issues — which I’m sure he’ll indulge when the school inevitably lets him down.

David Dastmalchian, who’s actually a frequent side character in many blockbusters — ranging from The Dark Knight, Ant-Man, Prisoners and Blade Runner 2049 — plays the lead role. In this harrowing drama, he’s fittingly creepy, walking the line between courtly and unhinged. He gives a superb performance that very slowly builds to a riveting display of rancor and frustration, essentially fueled by James’ childhood trauma.

Throughout the first half of Teacher, Preston is directly bullied by Tim: at one point, he’s pushed to the ground, stabbed and brutally attacked. Daniela, on the other hand, is indirectly bullied by Tim: obscene drawings of her are covertly put in her locker, and an entire website is created to mock her figure. It’s disgusting stuff, but Dick sketches the bullying realistically while also eventually depicting the victim’s physical and emotional scars left behind.

Preston undergoes Tim’s abuse without a grand struggle, but when Daniela is being targeted on the internet, Preston can’t help but strike back against Tim. And he does this by utilizing the camera as a weapon, temporarily blinding Tim using flash photography as he’s about to throw a few pitches during a baseball game. Transitioning from victim to bully in mere seconds, Preston savors some revenge, but nothing good can come from it. Matthew Garry plays Preston convincingly, and it’s easy to sympathize with his character and understand why he would, at the moment, attempt revenge. His thirst for vengeance was brought on by Daniela, who is played effectively by Esme Perez. Preston and Daniela’s romance is endearing, with each of them comforting each other in times of distress (and their relationship reveals a bit of optimism in a picture woven with pain).

With prolific money and a condemnatory father (played by a marvelously stern Kevin Pollak) by his side, Tim’s the embodiment of white privilege. And a deft Curtis Edward Jackson portrays the character with discomforting bile. In this case, the bully didn’t naturally become a bully, somebody in his life is a poor influence. It goes to show you, it can be the people in our lives, and who we associate with, who help steer our moral compass or how we deal with other people. So as you can imagine, after Preston causes Tim to lose the baseball game, Tim goes too far and is faced with legal troubles.

Dick’s drama throws a lot of punches, and it does so without nurturing too much woeful artificiality. The teenagers act like teenagers, and the bullying is not necessarily amplified; if anything, the bully wields this unchecked anger, but this bully (and I’m sure a lot of others), were (or still are) victims themselves. Whether it be by the hands or words of a mother, father or sibling, bullying can occur at home. Other times, maybe the bully is enduring a strong dose of personal woe, or maybe the bully hates themselves or is struggling with underlying feelings. Either way, there are usually obstacles that helped influence his/her wrathful behavior.

For Tim, his rage is kindled by his father, and when our barmy English teacher begins to lose a grasp on reality, that’s where Dick artfully measures palpable suspense, while unmasking the ramifications of the bullied and the bully. In hindsight, there’s a lesson to be learned: the trauma of bullying can leave indelible wounds.

Some Wounds Don’t Heal

There’s always a risk that these wounds from bullying won’t heal, and a mark will be left long after they graduate (or maybe not, speaking as victims of bullying are at greater risk of dropping out, skipping school or witnessing a plummeting GPA). It’s never wholly certain how a victim will respond to the maltreatment, but withstanding it day after day can render them rancorous, frustrated, dejected or virulent (perhaps leading to a violent reaction that cannot be undone). The bully may stay mired in aggression because it’s what they know best; they may have learned it from someone, and then adopted it as a way to live life. Preston and Daniela end up physically scarred, and it’s disheartening to see. But those physical injuries aren’t as vividly seen as the emotional bruises, which are seen on the faces of Preston and Daniela (and their dejection is affecting).

When there’s no concrete proof of it being arranged by the corrupted mind of Tim, or when Tim’s hazing is far too permanent, James can’t help but indulge his more violent and reckless urges. But James was already wounded by his past of bullying, so he’s more driven by rage manufactured long ago. The bullying is certainly hard to stomach, but the fashion in which James descends into darkness and moderately abandons his morals is acutely tempting. Dastmalchian preserves the intrigue of the picture, implying to violent proclivities that are bound to surface whenever it feels most genuine. And that’s what Dick captures with Teacher: a genuine thriller, riddled with self-destruction and trauma, all of which is propelled by the topic of bullying.

I know what you’re thinking, that the subject matter of bullying has been done to death, with the current show 13 Reasons Why proving to be a huge success (even though everything about that show is wrong). But an impressive central performance in Teacher takes the podium and teaches all of the wrong ways to deal with a bully. However, in the process of James’ downfall, there’s a lot of truth tailored to the script.

“The meek inherit nothing but false promises and maybe sometimes we should…strike back, right?” These are the words of James Lewis again. If it wasn’t clear before, James is visibly mired in a harmful mentality, which persuades him that all smart people are saints and all athletes are devils. But that just isn’t true. Not only are the effects of bullying illustrated so heartbreakingly by a capable cast, but the film paints how monsters come in various forms, no matter how “smart” they appear to be.

Unfortunately, not everybody with a big brain actually has a heart. And not every jock is looking to tease the meek. Life is full of people who bully because they enjoy it (and they’ll go on in life without a second thought). Others may bully because they’re being bullied. Some victims of bullying persevere, while others only get worse. Teacher may be a thriller, but it has bold motivations and accomplishes grand results regarding modern-day high school bullying.

Teacher: A Modern Take On Bullying With A Mien Of A Thriller

Sometimes we’re beaten down as the prey until we yearn to be the predator, but making your bully suffer only makes you stoop to their level. And that’s a lesson English teacher James Lewis needs to learn and let sink in. “The Merchant of Venice” is what Mr. Lewis discusses when we first see him, and he throws the thought of Shylock being a victim, as a way to show even the antagonist may be upholding a facade. So is it possible for Tim to be upholding a facade? Of course; and that’s exactly what Dick achieves with his feature debut. In reality, there may be more underneath the surface than what you originally thought. This includes the villain as much as the hero.

After the gradual build-up, the last thirty minutes are incredibly compelling, if slightly rushed. Teacher will break your heart as much as it will make your heart race. Teacher is an angry movie, with angry characters, but its anger manages to leave an impression. The low budget is made quite clear, but Teacher is a weighty insight into today’s bullying, masked by the layout of a thriller and a performance by David Dastmalchian, who channels a middle-class Travis Bickle.

What is your favorite high school-centric movie? What movie depicts the effects of bullying most realistically? Let us know in the comments!

Teacher was given a limited theatrical release on August 2, 2019. It’s being released on VOD on August 13, 2019.