The Lesson

Who actually learns his lesson in this modest story about money and morality? Teacher Nade discovers there has been a theft in her class. She gazes confidently at her pupils and calmly lets them know that the thief will not get away with it, but will get his just deserts.
When she gets home, an unpleasant surprise is waiting. Her husband has borrowed money and spent it on a rickety camper. Now their bank wants the money back and is threatening drastic measures. Nade again takes control.
In a dry style that has been compared with the work of the Dardenne brothers, the makers of this story, based on a newspaper headline, painstakingly portray Nade’s attempts to overcome the crisis. Step by step, she shifts her boundaries until she does things that not long before she would have condemned. Does she still stand in front of the class with the same confidence?
The Lesson won best new director at San Sebastián.