In 2019, Taiwan became the first Asian nation to legalize marriage equality. This fresh romantic drama takes us boldly into the streets and bedrooms of Taipei and into the life of one gay high school teacher as he tests the limits of this new tolerance. Kevin Chang is 26, comfortably out as gay, and when he’s not teaching high school civics, he is juggling a passionate affair with a married man and attending rallies for same-sex marriage. But when he dares to bring up gay rights in his classroom, he runs up against an administration and a culture that may not be as ready for change as he is.

With striking camerawork and remarkable candor, The Teacher powerfully depicts how the intersection of Kevin’s life, love, and career puts both his job and relationship in jeopardy. Kevin’s predicament—told with nuance as we experience the growing pressures from his family, from his lover’s wife, and from his bosses—asks us if teachers can truly leave their own lives at the classroom door.