Herr Bachmann and his students

Where to feel at home? In Stadt Allendorf, a German city with a complicated history of excluding and integrating foreigners, affable teacher Dieter Bachmann helps his students feel at home. The students are aged between 12 and 14 years old and come from 12 different countries, some of whom have not yet fully mastered the German language. Before retiring, teachers hope to spark curiosity in these future citizens about different fields of work, topics, cultures and lifestyles. After watching this engaging and relatable documentary, one cannot help but realize that if all children were lucky enough to have such a highly emotional and patient teacher, conflicts could be alleviated through discussion, and John Lennon's "imagination" could become a reality. Director Maria Spade and cinematographer Reinhold Vorschneider show that education is not only important but can be a spectacular process - and stage it so brilliantly that the film itself almost takes on a certain heroic quality.