Dir. Maria Speth. Germany. 2021. 217 mins. Some films, regardless of their quality, only really come into their own when seen with an audience. That’s why, while documentary Mr Bachmann And His ...

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 ...

But at least there’s “Mr. Bachmann and His Class” bearing fond, admiring witness to the small acts of pedagogical heroism that happened there, every day. Best of Variety ...

Mr. Bachmann and His Class, also known as Herr Bachmann und seine Klasse in German, has premiered at the 2021 Berlin Film Festival and is one of the documentary highlights of the fest this year.

‘Mr. Bachmann and His Class’ Review: A Documentary Testament to the Value of a Great Teacher Reviewed at Berlin Film Festival (online), Berlin, Feb. 27, 2021. Running time: 217 MIN.

'Mr. Bachmann and His Class' director Maria Speth on 'holding a mirror to German society' in her documentary, which won a Silver Bear at Berlin 2021.

Luckily for this class, Herr Bachmann is the real deal. The children are wonderful; both ordinary and extraordinary, they study, muck about, share their dreams – ‘I want to be a singer.

Dieter Bachmann is nearing retirement age but still wearing AC/DC T-shirts in the classroom where he teaches a gaggle of 12-14-year-olds in the industrial town of Stadtallendorf in central Germany.

‘Mr. Bachmann and His Class’ Review: Learning From the Best Maria Speth’s enthralling documentary spends a year in the classroom of an unconventional teacher in a German industrial town.

Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Wheel Of Fortune And Fantasy and Maria Speth’s Mr Bachmann And His Class are the joint winners of Screen’s 2021 Berlin jury grid, with both films scoring averages of 3.3 ...