A teacher decides to get involved when one of her students is suspected of theft. Caught between her ideals and the school system, the consequences of her actions threaten to break her. A film by İlker Çatak, starring Leonie Benesch, Eva Löbau, Anne-Kathrin Gummich, Michael Klammer, Rafael Stachowiak, and Leonard Stettnisch.

Carla Nowak (Leonie Benesch) is a Polish descendant, whose parents immigrated to Germany in the 1960s. It is her first year working as a school teacher at a secondary school where the staff is currently experiencing a deficit, as she has to teach both math class and physical education.

Lately, the school has been trying to manage an internal issue, such as petty theft, which keeps occurring discreetly and without causing major disruptions. They interview students and ask them if they have seen anything suspicious involving their classmates. At one point, a teacher even resorts to questionable methods, pressuring a boy to cooperate by giving him a list of names and asking him to identify who he thinks is the thief. This makes Carla uncomfortable with the approach.

During a math lesson, Carla’s teaching is interrupted by Dr. Bettina Böhm (Anne-Kathrin Gummich) and fellow teachers Milosz Dudek (Rafael Stachowiak) and Thomas Liebenwerda (Michael Klammer), who ask to search all the boys’ wallets. Hoping to identify the thief, they believe evidence might be found within. Dudek, opening Ali’s wallet, discovers an unusual amount of cash. Ali Yilmaz (Can Rodenbostel) is then taken to Dr. Böhm’s office.

Ali’s parents (Uygar Tamer & Özgür Karadeniz) are called to a school meeting to discuss the money found in Ali’s wallet. Ali’s mother explains that she gave him the money to buy a computer game for his cousin. However, Ali’s parents believe he is being treated differently because of his race.

At the teachers’ lounge, Carla notices another teacher attempting to take money out of the piggy bank in the pantry. This makes her suspect that the thief might be a staff member. So, she counts the money in her wallet, placing it in her coat on the chair. Then, she sets up her notebook to secretly record video while she’s away. Upon returning, she discovers some of her money missing. Checking the footage, she finds a video capturing a partial image of the suspected thief – a long white sleeve with an orange star pattern clearly visible in one frame.

Scanning the teachers’ lounge, Carla searches for the person wearing the orange star-patterned shirt. She’s shocked to find Friederike Kuhn (Eva Löbau), an administrative staff member, wearing the exact shirt. Convinced Mrs. Kuhn stole her money, Carla confronts her, requesting the money back and offering to drop the issue. However, Carla is unprepared for Mrs. Kuhn’s fierce rebuttal. Not only does Mrs. Kuhn deny stealing the money, but she also angrily demands Carla leave.

Frustrated and angry, Carla turns to Dr. Böhm and shows her the video footage, leading to Mrs. Kuhn’s immediante suspension. The situation escalates quickly when Dr. Böhm realizes the legal implications, as recording people without their consent is illegal and the evidence needs to be handled through proper channels, likely involving the police. This prompts Carla to confront the consequences of her actions.

Das Lehrerzimmer is a rare film that manages to turn an ordinary event like stealing into a suspenseful thriller film. The script misleads both the characters and viewers, making Carla doubt whether Mrs. Kuhn is the actual thief or if someone else is involved. Mrs. Kuhn never admits guilt, and the video never definitively shows her taking the money. This open-to-interpretation nature is what makes the film so compelling and entertaining to watch.

Das Lehrerzimmer (The Teachers’ Lounge) premiered at Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin on 18 February 2023. The film was theatrically released in Germany on 4 May.