Class

Krumholtz has always been a terrific character actor, known for his unusually soulful work on TV shows like Numb3rs and The Deuce, but Adam is one of Krumholtz’s most memorable creations to date. The way he walks a fine line between silly and sinister is breathtaking, and every line delivery somehow exudes both egomania and absolute control. There are moments where he inspires laughter with just his body language alone, alongside others that are deeply unsettling in both expression and implication.

Class takes Max through the entirety of his first session with Adam, the tension building steadily throughout. Things start innocuously enough, with the students engaging in vocal warm-ups and movement exercises that are a bit goofy looking but nothing too far out of the ordinary. Then, it’s time for Adam’s students to really explore his technique. Max watches, incredulous, as his classmates participate in simple-sounding acting exercises that quickly escalate into shame, screaming, desperation, and antagonism, all under Adam’s penetrating gaze. A student who muffs his lines during a Shakespeare scene is dressed down spectacularly, and his much better-prepared scene partner is inexplicably given even harsher treatment. Adam seems to relish all of it. And then, of course, comes Max’s turn to step on stage, leading to a bizarre crescendo that manages to be both hilarious and horrifying at the same time.

“…Adam is one of Krumholtz’s most memorable creations…”

For their part, Cellucci and McNair handle things very skillfully, particularly considering that this is their first effort behind the camera. They’re both actors themselves, so it’s no surprise that they know how to elicit nuanced performances, and there’s a knowing perspective to the dialogue and characterizations – even at their most exaggerated. What might be even more impressive, though, is the pins-and-needles atmosphere they’re able to conjure up with the staging and visuals. The silent tableau that is Max’s point of view when he first steps on stage is deliciously eerie and threatening; there are horror films that would kill to have this kind of tension.

The only frustration with Class is that the film’s closing scene, while clever and surprising, leaves its overall perspective a little too ambiguous. Is Adam really the life-changing genius that his students are so convinced he is? Or is he just a manipulator with delusions of grandeur? The filmmakers certainly don’t need to answer that question definitively, but it feels a bit too much like they haven’t quite made up their minds, either.

Class screened at the 2021 Dances With Films.