The Lesson, 2015.
Directed by Ruth Platt.
Starring Robert Hands, Evan Bendall, Michaela Prchalová, Dolya Gavanski, Tom Cox, Rory Coltart and Michael Swatton.
SYNOPSIS:
A teacher at the end of his tether decides to teach two wayward pupils a lesson they won’t forget.
It’s always interesting when a filmmaker puts a fresh spin on an established genre by making you think that little bit more, and when that genre is the divisive torture porn then said filmmaker should, at the very least, be applauded for trying to make something so violent and bloody appear a bit more intelligent. With The Lesson, writer/director Ruth Platt introduces characters already in poor circumstances and escalates the situation, bringing about a morality tale, albeit a twisted one, that will generate discussion long after the credits have stopped rolling.
However, the ambition of The Lesson is probably greater than the end result, which is a film that spends a little too long getting to where it needs to be and slightly missing its mark when it comes to pacing and characters. Essentially The Lesson is a torture-cum-slasher movie with a central premise of a teacher who has had enough of his out-of-control pupils and decides to educate them using brute force and extreme violence but there are deeper commentaries going on within the narrative that feel like they should have been given a little bit more development. For example, Fin (Evan Bendall) is one of the bad lads kidnapped by English teacher Mr. Gale (Robert Hands) and we are given the not-very-surprising reason for his behaviour being his broken home life – his mother is dead, his dad works abroad and he shares a house with his older brother Jake (Tom Cox), who clearly doesn’t want him there – but we’re not given enough detail to make Fin very sympathetic when Mr. Gale finally snaps and gets his nail gun out. We know even less about his friend Joel (Rory Coltart), apart from he is aggressive and confrontational, so when Mr. Gale turns his attention to him there is not a lot to make us want to root for the juvenile delinquent, despite Mr. Gale’s rather extreme methods of educating inattentive pupils.
One of the more interesting characters in the film is Mia (Michaela Prchalová), Jake’s Polish girlfriend. Fin has a bit of a thing for her and she knows it, and when Fin is kidnapped by Mr. Gale it is Mia who goes looking for him. Mia has a story all of her own as her estranged mother Tanja (Dolya Gavanski) comes to Jake’s house looking for her, only to be swiftly told to do one by Jake, and again, nothing ever comes of it which is a shame as Mia is probably the only character in the film to really warrant any sympathy, mainly thanks to a superb performance from Michaela Prchalová.
But what makes The Lesson stand out amongst the plethora of torture porn gorefests is the dreamy, arthouse quality that Ruth Platt washes the film with once Mr. Gale kidnaps the kids, using slow-motion, black-and-white flashbacks and a very wordy script that the average Saw/Hostel movie would have ignored in favour of more gruesome set-pieces. However, those films didn’t have Mr. Gale, the English teacher with a grudge, a nail gun and a shelf full of classic literature. The film shies away from giving us too much background on him, making him just a teacher who has had enough of being abused by his pupils, and you can see why Ruth Platt chose to make it that way as had we had an origin story it would have made him too much of a potential slasher icon rather than just a regular guy who has had enough. Credit to Robert Hands for his totally dedicated and believable performance, and for remembering all of those English literature references that he teaches to Fin under threat of hammering nails into his hands.
Overall, The Lesson is a thought-provoking film that really ought to be seen by those who think that torture porn has nothing to offer other than gratuitous gore and needless suffering because there is a lot more going on here (although the gore, when it finally arrives, is totally warranted and very well done). But unfortunately the awkward pacing and seemingly forced arthouse touches don’t do it any favours, making it a film to appreciate but not necessarily enjoy. The Lesson is a film rife with ideas and potential but also one that punches well above its weight and doesn’t always hit the right spot.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★/ Movie: ★ ★
Chris Ward
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https://youtu.be/b7Ozs5mj5ao?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng
Originally published July 11, 2016. Updated April 15, 2018.
