“The Teacher” opens with text informing the viewers that the film was “Inspired by True Events.” Most obviously, this refers to the case of Gilad Shalit, an Israel Defense Forces soldier whose imprisonment by Palestinian militants and 2011 release in exchange for over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners is lightly fictionalized during the movie.
But more broadly, it speaks to the film’s commitment to portraying the struggles of living in Palestine in a time of perpetual strife, where violence and displacement is a constantly looming threat and justice feels constantly out of reach.Although Shalit’s capture and release inspired the backbone of Farah Nabulsi’s debut feature, his counterpart in the film, Nathanial Cohen, is a mere plot device spoken about more than he’s glancingly seen.
Our protagonist is instead completely fictional Basem, a Palestinian man who teaches English at a small boys school.
At his job he’s stern but gentle,…
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