Maggie Gyllenhaal’s new film “The Kindergarten Teacher” may be a Polanski-like psychological thriller and allegory about obsession, but she says it perfectly captures the way many women are feeling in 2018 – mute.
“I think she’s a woman right now who’s going, ‘I’m starving. I thought I was OK. I’m not OK,'” Gyllenhaal told TheWrap’s Sharon Waxman at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), speaking of her character’s need to be heard. “And that’s what all of us are doing. That’s like the cultural conversation right now.”
In Sara Colangelo’s film, which premiered at Sundance and screened at TIFF this month, Gyllenhaal plays a kindergarten teacher who overhears a child reciting a poem and takes an unhealthy obsession with him when she starts to believe he’s a prodigy.
“The Kindergarten Teacher” takes a sinister turn and ratchets up the tension to thriller levels, but Gyllenhaal says the story serves as a case study for what happens when a woman’s voice is ignored and suppressed.
“She’s also an artist, and she’s just completely not being heard or seen as an artist, as a person in her life at all,” Gyllenhaal said. “Like many women these days, she’s waking up to the fact that she’s ‘starving.’ In terms of trying to get herself fed, she goes down this really questionable path.”
Gyllenhaal points out that Colangelo’s film is an “allegorical example,” but that the stakes and the parallels to today’s cultural conversation are still very real.
“Here’s an example of the consequences of ‘starving’ a woman. It doesn’t have to be this,” Gyllenhaal said. “But still, here are the consequences. This is what’s on the table if you don’t ‘feed’ us.”
“The Kindergarten Teacher” will be available on Netflix on Oct. 12. Watch a clip from our interview with Gyllenhaal and co-star Gael Garcia Bernal above.
89 Stunning Portraits From TheWrap's Toronto Studio (Exclusive Photos)
Elle Fanning, "Teen Spirit"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Elle Fanning, Clara Rugaard, Zlatko Buric and director Max Minghella, "Teen Spirit"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Elle Fanning, "Teen Spirit"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Alexander Skarsgård, "Hold the Dark"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Mia Goth, Robert Pattinson and director Claire Denis, "High Life"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Maggie Gyllenhaal and Gael Garcia Bernal, "Kindergarten Teacher"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Maggie Gyllenhaal, "Kindergarten Teacher"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Maggie Gyllenhaal, "Kindergarten Teacher"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Maggie Gyllenhaal, "Kindergarten Teacher"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Director Alonso Ruizpalacios and Gael Garcia Bernal, "Museo"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Brian Tyree Henry, Liam Neeson, Colin Farrell and Daniel Kaluuya, "Widows"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Elizabeth Debicki, "Widows"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Colin Farrell, "Widows"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Cynthia Erivo, "Widows"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Kyle MacLachlan and Maria Bello, "Giant Little Ones"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Kyle MacLachlan and Maria Bello, "Giant Little Ones"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Radhika Apte and Dev Patel, "The Wedding Guest"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Radhika Apte and Dev Patel, "The Wedding Guest"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Nicole Kidman, "Destroyer"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Sebastian Stan, Nicole Kidman, Tatiana Maslany and Karyn Kusama, "Destroyer"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Paul Dano, "Wildlife"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Paul Dano and Carey Mulligan, "Wildife"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Jena Malone, "The Public"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Emilio Estevez, Jena Malone, Christian Slater, and Michaek K. Williams, "The Public"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Emilio Estevez, "The Public"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Michael Kenneth Williams, "The Public"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Director Jason Reitman, Matt Bai and Jay Carson, "The Frontrunner"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Adam Stein, Lexy Kolker and Zach Lipovsky, "Freaks"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Garrard Conley and Joel Edgerton, "Boy Erased"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Jason Sudeikis, Judy Greer, Lee Pace, Nick Hamm and Isabel Arraiza, "Driven"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Isabel Arraiza, "Driven"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Lily Rose Depp, "A Faithful Man"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Lily Rose Depp, Louis Garrel and Laetita Casta, "A Faithful Man"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Laetitia Casta, "A Faithful Man"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Laetita Casta and Lily Rose Depp, "A Faithful Man"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Y'Lan Noel, "The Weekend"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Sienna Miller, Jake Scott, Will Sasso, Aaron Paul and Christina Hendricks, "American Woman"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Werner Herzog, "Meeting Gorbachev"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Alexis Bloom, "Divide and Conquer The Story of Roger Ailes"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Taylor Hickson, "Giant Little Ones"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Karyn Kusama, "Destroyer"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
László Nemes, "Sunset"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Lee Chang-dong, "Burning"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Steven Yeun, "Burning"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Darren Mann, Josh Wiggins, and Taylor Hickson, "Giant Little Ones"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Zlatko Buric, "Teen Spirit"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Clara Rugaard, "Teen Spirit"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Max Mingella, "Teen Spirit"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Darren Mann, "Giant Little Ones"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, "Never Look Away"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Jessie Buckley, "Wild Rose"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Nicole Taylor and Jessie Buckley, "Wild Rose"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Nicole Taylor and Jessie Buckley, "Wild Rose"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Jessie Buckley, "Wild Rose"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Christian Slater, "The Public"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Joel Edgerton, "Boy Erased"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Josh Singer, "First Man"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Josh Wiggins, "Giant Little Ones"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Liam Neeson, "Widows"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Louis Garrel, "A Faithful Man"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Sebastian Koch, "Never Look Away"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Sebastian Stan, "Destroyer"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Tatiana Maslany, "Destroyer"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Thomas Mann, "The Land of Steady Habits"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Thomas Mann, Nicole Holofcener and Ben Mendelsohn, "The Land of Steady Habits"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Tom Schilling, "Never Look Away"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Ali Abbasi, "Border"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Paul Greengrass, Åsne Seierstad, Jonas Strand Gravli, Seda Wit, and Jon Øigarden, "22 July"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Damien Chazelle, Linus Sandgren, Ai-Ling Lee, Tom Cross, and Josh Singer, "First Man"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Errol Morris, "American Dharma"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Judy Greer, "Driven"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Jason Sudeikis, "Driven"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Lee Pace, "Driven"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Jeffrey Wright, "Hold the Dark"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Nadine Labaki, "Capernaum"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Paul Greengrass, "22 July"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Wanuri Kahiu, "Rafiki"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Damien Chazelle, "First Man"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Victor Polster, Lukas Dhont, and Arieh Worthalter, "Girl"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Lukas Dhont, "Girl"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Victor Polster and Arieh Worthalter, "Girl"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Paul Greengrass, Strand Gravli, Jon Oigarden, Seda Wit, and Asne Seierstad, "22 July"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Roddy Doyle and Paddy Breathnach, "Rosie"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Paddy Breathnach, "Rosie"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Roddy Doyle, "Rosie"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Felix Van Groeningen, "Beautiful Boy"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Jason Reitman, "The Front Runner"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Juli Jakab, "Sunset"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
1 of 89
Toronto Film Festival 2018: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Elle Fanning, Robert Pattinson and more stop by our studio
