Teacher's Pet

by Mike McGranaghan

We all had that one teacher who rubbed us the wrong way. The one who seemed a little “off” personality-wise, or whose methods blurred the line between challenging students and bullying them. The indie thriller Teacher’s Pet takes that idea to an extreme, telling a story that offers multiple shocks while also saying something poignant about the power of the written word.

Clara (played by talented newcomer Michelle Torian) is finishing up high school. Graduation means freedom from her abusive foster father, Jack (Kevin Makely), and caring but enabling foster mother Sylvia (Barbara Crampton). When her English teacher takes his own life, a replacement arrives. He is Mr. Heller (Luke Barnett), and he immediately singles her out as the star writer in class. His efforts to help her push herself eventually start to seem like manipulation, as though he has an ulterior motive for showering her with attention.

I’m not going to say anything beyond that in order to preserve the plot’s surprises.

Writer/director Noam Kroll puts an intriguing spin on the predatory thriller: Clara knows Mr. Heller is up to something and makes a continual effort to outthink him. The more she investigates her suspicions, the more he uses her aspirations as a writer to exert control. The teacher plays into her ego, offering effusive praise to get his way and devastating criticism when the praise stops working. This dynamic leads to an unexpected final confrontation between them wherein Clara can only extricate herself from danger through words.

Luke Barnett (Faith Based) shrewdly doesn’t play Mr. Heller as an obvious psycho. The actor gives him enough humanity to suggest he might once have been a good guy until something pushed him over the edge. Because this teacher has an often casual vibe to his personality, he’s able to become realistically scary. It’s a fantastic performance from Barnett.

Michelle Torian is equally good, convincing us that Clara is smart and savvy enough to beat Mr. Heller at his own game. The more danger she gets in, the more Clara realizes words truly can be a weapon. Scenes between the two leads are filled with tension. In the supporting realm, Barbara Crampton hits all the right notes as Sylvia, a woman who legitimately wants to help her foster children have a better life, even though her own is dominated by an angry husband.

Teacher’s Pet was reportedly made on a low budget, with a short shooting schedule and a skeleton crew. It is proof that you don’t need $100 million to make a good movie. You just need a solid story and gifted actors. Noam Kroll conjures up a chilling film that makes a battle of the brains just as exciting as a battle of the brawn.

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