One of the tests of satire is whether it can, at least at moments, be mistaken for reality. Mike Akel’s Chalk passes the test. There are many scenes in Akel’s film where someone not in on the joke would not be able to tell that the film was a parody. In fact, I’ve shown the movie to school teachers who didn’t realize until the final credits that they were not watching a documentary. The reason is that the reality almost exceeds the possibility of parody; things are already comically unbelievable enough as they really are. Akel’s schoolroom version of The Office or This is Spinal Tap will ring bells and bring back Sunday night panic attacks for anyone who has ever worked in a school – or attended one. An educational film in more than one sense of the adjective.