Tokyo 2014: ‘The Lesson’ is as riveting as it is realistic
The Lesson, from newcomers Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov, begins with a simple exercise: an English teacher in a small Bulgarian school giving her class the chance to anonymously return money stolen from one of the students. Yet the first couple attempts yield neither confession nor cash. From there the film spirals into an exploration of the moral codes we have for ourselves and others, and the detrimental effects of a society bound by capitalism.