Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

The Lesson Blu-ray Movie Review

"Only the educated are free."

Reviewed by Dr. Stephen Larson March 4, 2017

The Lesson is a small British horror indie gem that received acclaim when it screened at the Midnight FrightFest in the UK a few years ago. Actress turned director Ruth Platt's (The Pianist) feature debut follows the Tindall brothers, Jake (Tom Cox) and the younger Fin (Evan Bendall), who live in a lower-income neighborhood in rural Oxfordshire. The Tindalls are without their mother, who died years ago, and cruel father, who left his boys to take a construction job in Tenerife. Jake lives with his kindhearted girlfriend, Mia (Michaela Prchalová), who fled home to get away from her bipolar mum, Tanja (Dolya Gavanski). Jake would rather not have Fin around and only lets him stay because he is the same bloodline, treating him as if he is the house's detritus. Fin is turning sixteen and when he receives a jean jacket from Jake as a present, he looks at it as apparel that he's supposed to wear but doesn't really like. While nice-looking and cleanly dressed, Fin is one of the community's juvenile delinquents who has been led on the wrong path by his best friend, Joel (Rory Coltart). Fin, Joel, and their friends spend their downtime stealing cigarettes and booze from a convenience store and vandalizing private property.

One morning before school, Fin carves "I AM A WANKER" on the side of one of the faculty member's cars. Fin and his buddies are nearly caught in the act by an administrator but wiggle their way out and head in to their first class. Mr. Gale (Robert Hands), the new English teacher, is trying to give the class a lecture on themes from Dickens' novels but Fin and his schoolmates are having none of it. The petulant youngsters are out of their seats acting disruptive and taunting their teacher, who is portrayed as a victim. One student comes up to the front and sticks a piece of gum in his hair. Mr. Gale's body language suggests a volcanic eruption is imminent but he steadies himself and continues his talk of the day.
Note that this review includes some spoilers.

Everyone should be nice to their new English teacher or else!

For the first three reels or so, Platt and her cinematographer Oskar Kudlacik visually depict free and open spaces for Fin to roam, which are away from his controlling brother and the monotonous classroom. As the Screenshots show, Fin enjoys himself bicycling, laying at a swimming pool near Jake's girlfriend (who he has unspoken attraction for), and seesawing with Joel in front of some striking landscapes. Fin is a troublemaker but he seeks refuge with his friends outdoors among nature's vistas. Those wide open spaces will soon become (painfully) enclosed, however. Platt and Kudlacik film a long take at magic hour of Fin and Joel playing red hands or another hand-slap game. As they stroll, they are ambushed and knocked unconscious by a perpetrator with a hammer. Fin awakens inside a workshop garage, his face and neck bloodied and his hands tethered to a wide desk. (Joel is still out cold.) Fin finds a bespectacled man with a black hoodie in front of a whiteboard. It is none other than his teacher, Mr. Gale!

The carved epithet on his vehicle and the unruly students in his classroom were the last straws for Mr. Gale, who claims that he has been dealing with unmotivated and disinclined students for over twenty years. Mr. Gale has kidnapped and immobilized Fin and Joel in order to indoctrinate them with a lesson that they would not usually receive in a safe classroom. Platt uses her English Literature background from University College, Oxford to write some astonishing literary sermons for Mr. Gale to deliver to his captives. The teacher wants his pupils to understand the virtues of motivation and inspiration the hard way (literally). When the film screened at the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, the independent media publication 48hills observed "gaggles of audience members literally fell onto the floor as they scampered for the exit doors."

Mr. Gale makes Fin play a deadly word game in which the teen is given ten seconds to find a word in a dictionary or else his teacher will hammer a nail into his hand. This makes Fin have to think instantaneously and use his weak fingers to leaf briskly through the dictionary. Mr. Gale also believes that his young student lacks the proper knowledge of the literary classics and gives him a crash course on Blake, Bronte, Hobbes, Milton, and Rousseau. He also lectures him on Golding's Lord of the Flies to quite ironic effect. This is the section of The Lesson that elevates it from witless horror to an intelligent thriller. Viewers may immediately resist the premise that a cheerless teacher would go to these lengths to inflict his idea of corporal punishment on his students but there is a method to Mr. Gale's madness. Platt has carefully avoided giving Mr. Gale a backstory although there is a plot hole involving his relationship to his mother. Early in the film, he is seen calling some kind of care center to check on his mum but this is never followed up. Platt's point seems to be that the characters lack parental guidance or a strong, influential presence in the family. Fin struggles the most when he has to spell, define, and identify "totalitarianism." Mr. Gale is a dictatorial figure that Fin can see but it takes him awhile to comprehend the historical pathology behind such a state-centered system of government. Based on his oration, it is clear that Mr. Gale has studied totalitarian regimes. It is less clear if he grew up under one in a different country. Perhaps through all the physical and psychological torture he subjects his students through, Mr. Gale is saying that the educational system he has worked ineffectually under for so long is in need of an overhaul and neo-fascism may serve as the substitute. This may be the last resort or a case in which Mr. Gale's mind just snapped. It is a tribute to Platt's workmanlike storytelling that The Lesson offers no easy answers.

The Lesson Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Lesson makes its global debut on Blu-ray courtesy of Scream Factory (an offshoot of Shout!'s) on this AVC-encoded BD-25, which carries an average video bitrate of 23992 kbps and total bitrate of 30.43 mbps. The label presents the film in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The picture retains a fairly thick layer of grain and shows a lot of detail. Skin tones appear rather light and this seems to be the intention of the filmmakers. Low-lit scenes are handled well, including a rack focus shot on Tanja and her boyfriend. Platt and Kudlacik flashback to scenes of Fin's childhood on a few occasions and these are photographed in black and white (see Screenshot #7). Director and DP also use a heavy filter for a nighttime scene leading up the climax. You'll notice some dense texture on Mia's face and the background in #17. To a lesser degree, this filter is also present in #18. Overall, the transfer didn't produce any problems and exposed few flaws.

Scream has divided the main feature up into its customary dozen scene selections.

The Lesson Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Scream provides two audio options: a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround (2957 kbps) and a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo (1629 kbps). The 5.1 mix really brought the nature sounds and ambience wrought from the teens' hustling and bustling amidst the Oxfordshire countryside. Dialogue is well- amplified and the English SDH is a welcome add-on to translate some of the characters' thick British accents. The sound track for The Lesson contains mainly folk songs and some underscore. The uncompressed track helped to accent guitar playing and vocals on the surround channels. For an extremely low-budget film, the DTS-HD MA options didn't miss any beats.

The Lesson Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer (1:39, 1080p) - Scream Factory's official trailer for The Lesson presented in 1.78:1 with Dolby Digital 2.0. In English, not subtitled.

The Lesson Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Lesson is an intelligent and creepy British horror thriller from first-time director Ruth Platt. The film is torture porn lite (especially compared to genre offerings since the mid 2000s) but will satisfy fans with its prolonged moments of sheer gore and terrific suspense. In addition to the fine performances by leads Robert Hands and Evan Bendall, Platt's screenplay shines with erudition and dark comic wit. Fans of Class of 1984 will see some similarities in the social issues portrayed in both films. Scream Factory delivers excellent presentations in the video and audio departments. The Lesson is not for the faint-hearted but it's worth taking a chance on to learn from the literary and pop culture references that its narrative invokes.