In the gripping drama Class Enemy (Razredni sovraznik), a high school class is a pretty typical collection of teenagers – some more rebellious than others, some a little more mature – but generally a potent package of hormones and bad judgement. One boy has just lost his mother and has anger issues, one artistic girl is very sensitive and another boy is just a smug punk. The class gets a new foreign language teacher, and he is demanding, humorless, abrasive and insensitive. The kids are already wary of him when they are rocked by a tragedy – and they explode.
Here’s what is special about Class Enemy. The kids’ reactions vary, but are true to their individual personalities. The reactions of the kids and adults are completely plausible, and not the least bit contrived. And the filmmakers avoid taking the side of any kid or any adult – no character is completely correct. This story could have been turned into a really trite Hollywood movie about kids united against a mean adult authority figure, but the filmmakers trust the audience to accept the nuance and ambiguity that we experience in real life.
Class Enemy, Slovenia’s entry for the Best Foreign Language Oscar, is an authentic and taut drama.