The Lesson (2014)

In a small Bulgarian town Nadezhda, a young teacher, is looking for the robber in her class so she can teach him a lesson about right and wrong. But when she gets in debt to loan sharks, can she find the right way out herself?

Directors:

Kristina Grozeva, Petar Valchanov

Writers:

Kristina Grozeva, Petar Valchanov

Stars:

Margita Gosheva, Ivan Barnev, Ivan Savov

29 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Margita Gosheva	...	Nadezhda
Ivan Barnev	...	Mladen
Ivan Savov
Stefan Denolyubov	...	Money Lender
Andrea Todorova
Poli Angelova	...	The Secretary (as Poly Angelova)
Milena Ilieva
Boris Doychinov
Nikolay Todorov	...	Kutsev
Vanina Geleva
Hristina Cvetanova
Peshka Maneva
Ivanka Bratoeva
Greta Velikova
Ana Bratoeva

Storyline

In a small Bulgarian town Nadezhda, a young teacher, is looking for the robber in her class so she can teach him a lesson about right and wrong. But when she gets in debt to loan sharks, can she find the right way out herself?

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Plot Keywords:

loan shark | stolen money | father daughter conflict | father daughter relationship | husband wife relationship | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Unrated

User Reviews

Tense and at times mesmerising tale from Bulgaria.

Nade is a school teacher of teenagers; her husband is a man who dotes on their daughter but also on the drink bottle. His nefarious carryings on have plummeted them into serious debt. She also has a side line in translating Bulgarian documents into English. Then one day one of her students has her purse stolen. It is obviously one of the class who is the culprit but Nade is unable to get them to fess up.

Now she is presented with some stark choices as to how to pay off her debts and so begins a very harrowing and exhausting as well as emotionally draining journey that had me increasingly gripped.

I have seen some comments that this is a slow start and I have to agree. However, you need to set the ground rules in order for the later events to have the fullest impact and I must say this really delivers. It is in Bulgarian and a bit of English, and runs to 111 minutes; it has also won a slew of awards and I have to say they are all completely deserved – recommended to lovers of European cinema and those who like their films to be a bit deeper.

Details

Country:

Bulgaria Greece

Language:

Bulgarian English

Release Date:

31 March 2016 (Greece)

Also Known As:

The Lesson

Box Office

Gross USA:

$9,045

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$65,142

Company Credits

Production Co:

Abraxas Film, Graal Films, Little Wing Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1