The story of a high-school English teacher in Austin whose life begins to spiral out of control as a secret sexual relationship with a student comes to an end, A Teacher is not without atmosphere and tension, but, in the end, it is just too ambiguous and truncated to disturb, fascinate, or in any significant way move the audience. Lasting just 75 minutes, 70 if you do not count the end credits, 65 if you do not count long scenes focused on the flawed heroine's morning jogs (running, running, never escaping), the film leans heavily on ellipses and indications: abruptly opening in media res, for example, denies us the history of the relationship, such as who made the first move, teacher or student. A Teacher may deserve a point for avoiding a sense of naughty exploitation considering the subject at hand, and lead Lindsay Burdge's fraught expressions are convincing, but there is simply nothing to grab hold of amidst the general air of anxiety and gloom, rendering the film brief, unpleasant, and without insight.

C