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Ever cross paths with someone who\u2019s clearly too young for you and catch yourself thinking, \u2018Way back when, he\/she would have been perfect!\u2019 That\u2019s exactly what happened to writer-director-producer Hannah Fidell and she channeled that thought into a feature film. <\/p>\n
\u201cA Teacher\u201d features Lindsay Burdge as Diana, a young high school teacher. She\u2019s got a solid routine, enjoys and takes pride in her work, but there\u2019s just one quirk \u2013 she\u2019s having an affair with one of her students (Will Brittain). The situation seems manageable at first, but when it progresses beyond glances in the hall and secretive late night romances, the relationship threatens to unravel Diana\u2019s entire existence.<\/p>\n
With the film heading towards a September 6th limited release, Fidell took the time to sit down and run through the entire process of bringing \u201cA Teacher\u201d to life. After a cute high school boy donning a letterman jacket sparked the idea, it came down to joining forces with cinematographer Andrew Palermo and just picking a date. Fidell recalled:<\/p>\n
\u201cHe asked me, \u2018So when are we making this movie?\u2019 And I was like, \u2018Well, we\u2019re gonna make it this winter!\u2019 And then we did! \u2026 I just needed someone to just have faith, I guess, that it was going to happen.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
And when it finally came time to make \u201cA Teacher\u201d happen, Fidell knew precisely who she wanted to make it happen with \u2013 Lindsay Burdge. In fact, Fidell wrote the part for her. However, when it came to casting her love interest, Eric Tull, Fidell opted to hold a standard audition and that\u2019s where she found Will Brittain. She explained:<\/p>\n
\u201cWill came to an audition that I had in Austin. He was a student at University of Texas and first he read with me. He didn\u2019t know that I was the director. He thought that I was just the casting director [laughs] \u2026 But he showed up smelling like a teenage boy. Not a gross having just played a game of basketball teenage boy, but smelled like Acqua di Gio \u2026 And so that kind of sealed the deal for [myself and Lindsay]. We\u2019re like, okay, it\u2019s a full sensory experience.\u201d<\/strong> <\/p><\/blockquote>\n
It\u2019s also important to know that Fidell didn\u2019t hit it big right from the start. In fact, she had a particularly rough run with her first directorial effort, \u201cWe\u2019re Glad You\u2019re Here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201c[Lindsay] starred in a film I made about four years ago now that was, in terms of what makes a film successful, not successful. In the marketplace, it was a complete failure \u2026 At the time, it was heartbreaking. Now I look at it as the best thing that could ever happen to me because I learned how to make films, I think. I mean, I\u2019m still learning.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
As important as it is to always continue to grow as a filmmaker, Fidell undoubtedly grew enough since then to make \u201cA Teacher\u201d a hauntingly poignant piece. Check out our full chat with the SXSW Chicken & Egg Emergent Narrative Woman Director prizewinner in the video below and catch \u201cA Teacher\u201d for yourself on VOD and iTunes right now or in theaters in New York and Los Angeles on September 6th.<\/p>\n