In “Mr. Bachmann and His Class,” one classroom becomes a portal to the world at large. In director Maria Speth’s sprawling, inspirational second documentary, the filmmaker presents about six months in ...

The documentary, which won a Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival, follows an unorthodox teacher and his sixth-grade students, most of them from immigrant families. By Scott ...

However long ago your school days, you can still name your favorite teacher. (Thanks for everything, Dr Sharkey.) Maria Speth’s affectionate and inspiring portrait of an affectionate and inspiring man ...

“If you have a wife, you have problems,” answers Hasan when asked why he didn’t want to get married later. “If you have a husband, you have problems,” Stefi responds visibly irritated by Hasan’s ...

Maria Speth’s enthralling documentary spends a year in the classroom of an unconventional teacher in a German industrial town. By A.O. Scott When you purchase a ticket for an independently reviewed ...

Maria Speth’s doc follows the fortunes of a small-town class of immigrant children under the kindly tutelage of their German teacher Films like Maria Speth’s documentary get short shrift at film ...

Berlin: At nearly four hours, this intimate portrait of a classroom for immigrant children in Germany is a profound statement about multiculturalism. In “Mr. Bachmann and His Class,” one classroom ...