Film Synopsis for the Teacher

Robert Benton's Oscar-winning adaptation of Avery Corman's bestseller

takes on contemporary problems of divorce and shifting gender roles, as
a jilted husband learns how to be a nurturing father. Manhattan
housewife Joanna Kramer walks out on her workaholic ad man husband
Ted, leaving their young son Billy in Ted's less than capable hands.
Through trial and error, Ted learns how to take care of Billy, devoting
more energy to his family than to his work, and finally losing his highpowered job because of his new priorities. When Joanna returns with her
own lucrative job and the intent to take custody of Billy, Ted finds
employment that won't interfere with his paternal duties. Even though
he proves that he can do it all, Joanna still wins in court. Joanna, however,
rethinks her desires when she finally grasps how close father and son
have become.
Kramer vs Kramer focuses on Ted's evolution from absent parent to ideal
father, as he learns to balance domestic and professional lives in the
shifting late-1970s social landscape. Joanna's attempt to achieve the
same, however, gets buried; only Streep's sensitive performance
prevents Joanna from seeming an unsympathetic harridan. Critics praised
the film's realistic depiction of Ted's travails, as well as the three lead
actors' work; and audiences, perhaps facing the same questions of
divorce and self-realization, turned it into a box-office smash. It went on
to win five Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Supporting
Actress.
*synopsis taken from of www.moviefone.com

Ted and Joanna have decided to divorce. Ted would like Joanna to
come back, but she has moved on with her life and wants a clean
break. After a year of travelling and starting a new life, she has
now decided that she wants to fight Ted for custody of their son,
Billy. Ted is against this, because she ran away for a year and he
has struggled to become a good dad. Joanna feels that she is the
mother and so has the automatic right to take care of their son.
You must debate and decide who should get custody of Billy.

Billy Kramer

Arguments for Ted Kramer to have full custody of Billy Kramer

Ted Kramer has looked after Billy for the past year, even though he admits that he has
found it difficult
Ted quit his high salary, high pressure job to spend more time with Billy and to learn to
be a better father.
Ted has proven his love for Billy
Joanna has a new job, which means that she will be working much of the time
Joanna walked out on Billy before. Maybe she will walk out on him again?
Joanna said in the lift that she was a bad mother and that Ted could look after Billy
better than her.
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Arguments for Joanna Kramer to have full custody of Billy Kramer

She is the mother and can probably look after Billy better
She is more experienced at looking after Billy, as she looked after him full-time before
She has found a new job with a high salary. Billy can now live better and go to a good
school
She says that she was not thinking straight before because of the stress of living with
Ted. She would never walk out on Billy again.
Ted admits that he has found it tough to look after Billy in the last year.

Class discussion questions following the debate

and custody decision
Divorce rates are climbing each year. What is the reason for
this?
Should divorce be made illegal?
Do you think people get divorced to easily and quickly these
days?
Who should usually get custody of children following divorce?
How much should the parent who doesnt have custody of
the child pay each month to the parent with custody?
How does divorce affect children?
Should parents ever continue in a loveless marriage to
protect their childrens feelings?
Would divorce be less common if couples lived together for
at least two years before marrying?
Why do celebrity marriages often end in divorce?
How do you feel about young, attractive women marrying
older men i.e. a 25 year-old woman marrying a 70 year-old
man? Should she get any money in the event of a divorce?
Is divorce a big problem in your country? Why?
Divorces usually end in a 50/50 settlement. Is this fair?
If you divorce, are you a failure?

DVD Clips to show the class

Clip One (Start to 07:46mins)
Show the film from the start until Joanna leaves in the lift. She has just told Ted that she is a
bad mother and that she doesnt love him anymore. Stop the scene and move to the next
scene as Ted is left shocked about to walk back into the apartment.

Clip Two (11:15 to 16:11mins)

This scene shows Billy waking up and asking where mum is. Ted tells Billy that mum has gone
away for a while. He tries to get Billy ready for school, something he is not very good at. He
shows the first signs that he cant cope while making breakfast. He then takes Billy to school.
Stop the clip and move on as Billy is left watching his father hurry away for work.

Clip Three (17:00 to 18:55mins)

Ted goes in to tell his boss that Joanna has left. He cant seem to comprehend that Joanna has
left him and keeps telling himself that she will be back. His boss asks Ted about his son and
raises the possibility that Joanna might be gone for good. End the clip and move on with Ted
left staring at his boss.

Clip Four (20:16 to 25:04mins)

These scenes are important because they show Teds difficulty in getting by at first and then
beginning to understand that Joanne will not be back. He clears away her things and packs
them away.

Clip Five (26:48 to 28:10mins)

It is Billys birthday and he is not enjoying it because his mum is not there. Billy goes to bed
and Ted is left hurt and upset.

Clip Five (35:58 to 42:10mins)

A key part in the film! Ted gets angry with Billy and sends him to bed. Billy tells his dad that he
hates him and that he wants his mum. Later, Billy says sorry and tells his dad that he loves him.
A corner has been turned in their relationship. Stop the DVD and turn off the TV as Ted is
closing the door to say goodnight.

How to approach the lesson

Introduce the topic of divorce. Perhaps ask the students to get into pairs or small groups
to think of problems that people might face in their adult lives. After a few minutes,
write down their ideas on the board i.e. debt, job problems, marriage problems. Ask the
students which of their suggestions are most common. Divorce is bound to come up and
once it does, start moving the conversation wholly in this direction.
Ask the students what kind of problems and difficulties come as a result of divorce. The
students are likely to offer things such as depression, family pressure, money and child
custody. Again, once child custody is raised, talk about this in more detail.
It is important to get the child custody/divorce topic well discussed before playing the
movie. It generates interest in what they are watching and the students will get far
more out of the lesson.
Play the movie clips as shown. Make sure that you have watched the clips before hand
so you are familiar with the clips!
After you have finished watching the clips, stop the DVD and tell the class that Joanne
has come back and now wants full custody of Billy. Ask the class if they think it is fair or
not and ask the class to give their reasons.
Divide the class into two groups. One group must argue for Ted to retain custody of Billy.
The other group are in favour of Joanna getting custody of Billy. Give each student the
info slip corresponding with who they support.
Tell the class that they have ten minutes to prepare arguments in support of either Ted
or Joanne. After ten minutes, bring the two groups back together and let them debate
who should get custody of Billy. The teacher should act as a neutral referee, only getting
involved when necessary.
After the debate, maybe have a secret ballot to decide who gets custody of Billy. You
can also have an open class discussion, using some of the discussion questions above as
a starter.
Good luck and have a great lesson!