A Teacher explores the predatory relationship between a teacher and her student. Delving deep into the complexities of such an affair, the series finds it hard to balance the discomfort it intends audiences to feel and the romance that must arise between the pair.
Creator Hannah Fidell adapts this series from a 2013 film of the same name which was also a project of her own. It’s simple to see why she chose to transfer it to this format, giving more time to dwell on the consequences of the decisions made early on.
Following Claire Wilson, a young new English teacher at a suburban Texas high school who indulges her desires for her student Eric Walker, she is stuck in a seemingly lacklustre, unhappy marriage. As a result, she takes advantage of Eric, a teenager confused about his feelings for the teacher.
“Focusing on such a sensitive area means it gets burned by its own decisions.”
It’s a narrative difficult to tackle and yet it’s audacious in its portrayal of such a delicate matter. On one hand, it’s a blossoming relationship; there is a transition from a professional correspondence to a romantic connection so Fidell has little choice but to display this as alluring, and to show us why they feel so attracted to each other. This means audiences will be drawn in to root for Claire and Eric. On the other hand, we know this is wrong and so audiences are introduced to their own moral conflict in their viewing. This is where the genius in the series lies, deliberate discomfort.
Though it has good intentions, focusing on such a sensitive area means it gets burned by its own decisions. For example, communicating Claire and Eric’s mutual attraction so heavily in the first few episodes makes it even more difficult to flip the script later. The moral of this story is to reveal the truth about manipulation, but too late does this realisation happen for these characters.
We follow Eric all the way into college and then jump 10 years into his future. The benefit of seeing his college years is witnessing the humour others derive from his prior relationship with Claire, asking about her breast size and forming an image of who he is based purely on this one “accomplishment.” The 10 year jump felt less welcome, only encouraging uncertainty as to what happened in that time and missing the internal struggle he would have been tackling during that gap.
“A powerful look at psychological abuse.”
Nick Robinson is adept at portraying the confused energy of a teenager about to take a huge life step, second guessing every decision in his head but rising above this to act more mature for Claire. Kate Mara’s performance evolves through the episodes as she becomes more natural, possibly a conscious decision as Claire doesn’t quite feel herself until she starts dating Eric.
The way the show delves into the damage Claire causes to Eric’s life is dramatic. Eric experiences a ripple effect; everything following Claire is tainted, causing him to wonder if he misses her since he can’t seem to escape her.
A Teacher is a powerful look at psychological abuse and how it can go unnoticed by the victim and outsiders. The effects on both of their lives, particularly Eric’s, is not shied away from and the damage is palpable.
The series ends on a definite note that is only wished to have been realised and introduced earlier in the narrative, acting as a full stop to any who were still uncertain that this act was wrong.
Originally released on Hulu, you can now stream all episodes of A Teacher on BBC iPlayer.
Gemma Nettle
Featured image courtesy f_a_r_e_w_e_l_l via Flickr. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
