When did movies about teachers start getting so dark? DreadCentral reports that genre director and icon Takashi Miike has signed on to direct Aku no Kyoten (translated to Lesson of the Evil), an adaptation of the 2010 graphic novel by Yusuke Kishi.
The movie will star Hideaki Itô (lead of Miike‘s Sukiyaki Western Django) as the beloved and charming teacher Seiji Hasumi, who uses his outgoing outward appearance to mask his sociopathic and psychotic tendencies. The darkness inside Hasumi manifests itself in the murder of his students, which he considers “mercy killings,” as the students are dealing with bad parents as well as constant bullying. That, sadly, sounds far more proactive than what actual teachers and school faculties do to combat those problems. Filming is set to start in April, with a hope to premiere the film at this year’s Venice International Film Festival in August, before a planned theatrical release in November.
I’m completely and totally on board with Lesson of the Evil; not only do I already love the work of the director, but I love the premise itself. (It’s sort of like if Dexter Morgan decided to be a teacher.. .and was even more of a psychopath.) And, as alluded to above, does anyone else find it sort of fascinating that any teacher or school-related film/documentary released lately has been of a dark variety? Says a lot about how we all think of the education system, no matter which country we live in. Interesting stuff if you’re like me and read way too much into things.
Do you want to see Lesson of the Evil, based on this early bit of information?