In this convincingly performed, character-and-situation-driven drama, a group of Slovenian teens blame their demanding new German teacher and his demeaning methods when one of their classmates commits suicide. As a colossal battle of wills unfolds at the high school, debuting director Rok Bicek demonstrates an impressive control of tension and suspense, making each encounter between class and instructor crackle with the possibility of violence.

The academic year is nearly over for a tightly knit bunch of high-school seniors. But the atmosphere in the classroom changes when Nusa, their beloved homeroom teacher, takes maternity leave and is replaced by a new hire, the authoritarian German instructor Robert (Igor Samobor). While Nusa showed great sensitivity to the students’ private lives and personalities, Robert believes in showing them who is boss.

The credible screenplay stresses the generational divide between the students and the school administration and reflects a general dissatisfaction within contemporary Slovenian society. As a director, Bicek capitalizes on the different energy between the teens (carefully cast and rehearsed nonprofessionals) and the adults (portrayed by professional actors) to persuasive effect. The already-bonded youngsters and Samobor (one of Slovenia’s best known actors) did not meet until the first day of the shoot, resulting in the type of friction necessary for the story.