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A discontented young man retreats from the modern world, searching for belonging, but he first must surrender to his deepest fears.
SYNOPSIS:
60' x 4
Simon Brinks, a young romantic man, can’t find his place in the world, thinking himself more suited to a time gone by, of real rather than digital connections. When a teaching position at a secluded school in a remote island opens up, he embraces it, thinking the school's ethos of traditional values and absent technology is exactly the kind of place where he can belong.
At first, The Cavil Institute is everything he had dreamed of, its old-world charm and values taking Brinks in instantly, as does the charismatic principal, Margaret Cavil. Other teachers, Charlotte and Keane, gently impose themselves as guides, while Sarah, closer to him in age, becomes a friend and confidant. But little oddities abound, at first almost excusable, but growing in strangeness as time passes: the rigidity of the schedule and formality of behaviour; Sarah’s abject fear of breaking the rules; Charlotte’ supervision of his classes. Initially, his desperate need of approval from Margaret quashes his feelings of unease. Then Brinks discovers “seclusion”, the forced confinement of teachers that fall short of Margaret’s high expectations. The idyllic veneer of the school drops away, revealing its sinister workings.
The full cultish reality of the Institute for the staff unfolds, the pupils remaining on the margins, nurtured and supported, and when a teacher jumps to his death, Brinks can only think of escape. Having got close to Sarah, he tries to convince her to run away to safety with him, but she’s too beaten by her own time in seclusion. When he sees no other option, Brinks resorts to desperate measures, endangering the life of his only friend to try to get off the island.
A cultish, atmospheric thriller, Schooling plays with power struggles, the pursuit of perfection and belonging.
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