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Two anti-capitalists 'terrorise' wealthy people by re-arraning their furniture and leving notes of guidance. | score 4 |
moviereview rates films from 1 (unwatchable) to 5 (unmissable) |
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| Cast Daniel Bruhl, Stipe Erceg, Julia Jentsch Director Hans Wiengartner Screenwriter Katherine Held Country Germany (subtitles) Rating / Running Time M / 127 minutes Australian Release May 2005 Official Site (c) moviereview
2005
ABN 72 775 390 361 |
“The
problem is, I can’t find anything I want to believe in,”
says an Edukator in this remarkable work about Western political
inertia. It’s a sentiment that echoes the director who, unable to
find a movement that worked, made a movie instead. Appalled by
globalization, Jan and Peter take matters into their own hands and form
an alliance of two, The Edukators,
who break into wealthy homes, rearrange furniture and leave notes of
‘guidance’. Without recourse to violence or vandalism, they
terrorise ‘offenders’ in the hope they’ll rethink
their position. A quantum shift occurs with the inclusion of
Peter’s girlfriend and an unexpected hostage. The Edukators
hide in the German mountains, assess their options and discover their
detainee was once as idealistic as them. What went wrong? What will
they do? And how will Jule tell Peter that she now loves Jan? Director Hans Weingartner suggests that ‘societies have grown so individualistic that a collective dynamic is no longer possible’. Or have they grown so homogenous that ideologies are now a variation on the same theme? These and many other arguments are presented in his forceful and challenging production. The confrontational opening is indicative of a film made more immediate by its Dogme-styled video-verité. Daniel Bruhl (Goodbye Lenin) leads a strong cast forced to confront the inescapable capitalist reality of Western life. The Edukators is unashamedly and confidently polemic, and a rare beast in cinema – a film that is erudite, witty and suspenseful in a frame of expert storytelling. What’s more, The Edukators’ adult characters are given delightfully grown-up dialogue. Add a dazzling finale and you’ve got the kind of film that makes going to the movies an absolute pleasure. // COLIN FRASER |