Das Experiment is a German film loosely based on the Stanford University Prison Study in the 1970s where a group of students were split into guards and prisoners which lead to minor authoritarian regime with torture being used.
The film focuses on a Tarek Fahd (Moritz Bleibtreu), a taxi driver, who see an advert for the experiment in the local newspaper. He volunteers and offers to write about it for his former employers, the Colonge Newspaper. He plans to secretly record what does on and interview other particaents. When the experiment starts Tarek is made a prisoner and he starts to rebel against the guards. He leads a mini-riot within 36 hours and the guards are forced to take drastic action. It's from that point when things start to go downhill very quickly, with the guards looking for new ways to humiliate the prisoners, and secretly torture some of them. The leading psychologist ignores what is going on and the film ends up in a violent conclusion.
The obvious theme of film were the dark side of the human mind who are willing to use violence and extreme messages to keep order and how quickly authoritarianism takes over. The film also deals with the psychological toll on the prisoners who are involved, some resist, some try not to rock the boat and some shut down completely. It was an interesting viewing experience. The acting was of a high standard, and the direction of Oliver Hirschbiegel was spot on. Hirschbiegel later goes on to direct the excellent film Downfall and I hope he has a great career in cinema. The writing was of a good standard, but it does go a little action like at the end, making an effort of trying to be dramatic and cinematic. I admit that the love story/surreal aspect was the weakest element of the film, but Das Experiment is an excellent film. It is a sign of how good the German film industry is.
The film focuses on a Tarek Fahd (Moritz Bleibtreu), a taxi driver, who see an advert for the experiment in the local newspaper. He volunteers and offers to write about it for his former employers, the Colonge Newspaper. He plans to secretly record what does on and interview other particaents. When the experiment starts Tarek is made a prisoner and he starts to rebel against the guards. He leads a mini-riot within 36 hours and the guards are forced to take drastic action. It's from that point when things start to go downhill very quickly, with the guards looking for new ways to humiliate the prisoners, and secretly torture some of them. The leading psychologist ignores what is going on and the film ends up in a violent conclusion.
The obvious theme of film were the dark side of the human mind who are willing to use violence and extreme messages to keep order and how quickly authoritarianism takes over. The film also deals with the psychological toll on the prisoners who are involved, some resist, some try not to rock the boat and some shut down completely. It was an interesting viewing experience. The acting was of a high standard, and the direction of Oliver Hirschbiegel was spot on. Hirschbiegel later goes on to direct the excellent film Downfall and I hope he has a great career in cinema. The writing was of a good standard, but it does go a little action like at the end, making an effort of trying to be dramatic and cinematic. I admit that the love story/surreal aspect was the weakest element of the film, but Das Experiment is an excellent film. It is a sign of how good the German film industry is.