Student Gerber

The excellent film adaptation of the novella by Friedrich Torberg: Vienna in the interwar period. Kurt Gerber (Gabriel Barylli) starts his last year at school before his Matura. His new class teacher is the strict mathematics professor Kupfer (Werner Kreindl), who reacts with unrelenting harshness to Gerber's poor performance and cheeky remarks. The illness of his father, whom he wants to spare the distress of his bad annual report, makes Kurt more and more desperate. Tormented by authority-fanatic teachers, the student Gerber, in the mistaken belief that he has failed the matriculation exam, takes his own life.

"The film points out the fatal consequences of abuse of power and ruthless, inhumane systems." RECLAM FILMLEXIKON