Despite being set in the 1980s, The Teacher is a film of major contemporary relevance. The majority-Slovak coproduction was filmed with a Slovak cast and crew. In the confined space of a single parent-teacher association meeting, a psychological drama about abuse of power on the part of a class teacher (Zuzana Mauréry) unfolds before the viewer’s eyes. As the accusations fly, the web of relationships between the characters is gradually revealed via flashbacks. Under the pretence of her devotion to socialist ideology, the seemingly compassionate teacher calculatedly torments her pupils while extorting favours and gifts from their parents. Her students’ results are determined not by their academic performance, but by their parents’ contributions to her personal benefits. Hřebejk poses the question of how willingly the group of parents encourage such corrupt practices. But not all of them are keen on playing the teacher’s game. Over the course of the PTA meeting, the collaborators put intensifying pressure on the “uncooperative” parents. Zuzana Mauréry’s performance in the film earned her Best Actress at Karlovy Vary. Rights to the film have been sold around the world, and a Chinese remake is currently in the works.