Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
This is playing at the Nuart here in Los Angeles right now, and I desperately want to get over there to see it. There’s so many things playing right now that I’m missing because of my writing schedule, like LOST IN LA MANCHA or this or a crazy Val Guest film called TOMORROW at the Egyptian on Sunday. At least I get to read the reviews of these things as they pour in. It’s sorta the same thing. Not really. *sigh*
Anyway... here’s the very disturbing The Crow with his look at a very disturbing film...
Hi Harry,
Call me The Crow.
It's not very often, but every once in a while, the hands of fate slip, and NYC theaters actually steal a couple of cinematic gems from the evil clutches of LA and Austin. The last time i reviewed a film for AICN was last April, when NYC played the first and, at the time, only host to the re-release of Akira. Coincidentally, today, after partaking of the sheer joy that is Spirited Away at the Loews E-Walk Theater on 42nd St., i would walk across the street, and return to the exact same theater at which i saw Akira, the AMC Empire 25, to see this little German flick called Das Experiment.
And right now, about 5 hours after walking out the doors into the crowded sidewalks of Times Square i have come to a realization.
I shouldn't have seen Spirited Away first.
Because I need a pick-me-up in the worst way.
Its extremely hard to give a rundown of the plot without ruining anything, but the basic premise is this: For 4000 marks (and, no, I dont know how much this is in US dollars), 20 people volunteer to participate in a special experiment, in which they will be forced to function in a specialized prison environment for 2 weeks. After a series of psychological and physical tests, the group is separated. 8 of them are given guard positions within the prison, the other 12 are prisoners. There are 6 basic rules which the guards are expected to uphold. 1, Prisoners must only address each other by their prison numbers. 2, Prisoners can only address the guards as "Mr. Prison Guard". 3, Prisoners are not allowed to speak after "Lights Out". 4. Prisoners must consume their entire meals, without question. 5, Prisoners must obey every order given by a guard. Finally, 6, The guards must punish the prisoners for every violation. The catch to this is, however, that violence must not be used, or else the offending officer/prisoner is eliminated from the experiment without being paid. Also, any of the volunteers may apply to leave the experiment at any time. But again, they won't be paid. Of course, with rules like these, you just know things are going to go straight to hell. The big eye opener, though, is HOW exactly things go to hell.
The experiment starts calmly enough, with the prisoners biding their time telling dirty jokes to one another, and playing basketball in the tiny enclosed exercise pen within the prison. Then slowly but surely, it turns into a horrible war of one-up-manship between the prisoners and the guards, who are all too quickly fitting into their newfound roles within the prison.
Make no mistake, this film is no joyride. There are no heroes here, only accomplices, and those who try to be otherwise pay a steep price. Director Oliver Hirschbiegel and Co. dig these men a deep dark hole from which is seemingly no escape. Everyone who even comes close is sucked into it, and that includes the audience. The theater i saw it in, 2 people got up about 10 minutes in, one to get something to drink, the other to the bathroom, and that would be the last time anyone even moved until the credits rolled. And for damn good reason. Once the conflicts start to truly build, the scapegoats are chosen, and the abuse of power continues to grow unchecked, it’s simultaneously infinitely disturbing, and thoroughly engrossing.
The entire cast and crew deserve praise for creating an atmosphere of perfect corruption and inherent fascism so in depth that the pulse of the prisoners and the pulse of the audience seem to match, but it’s Moritz Bleibtreu (Manni from Run Lola Run, and grand prize winner of the Aaron Lewis lookalike contest) who has the harsh duty of carrying this film on his shoulders, for without the rising tension between his character, Tarek, and Guard Berus (played with complete totalitarian menace by Justus Von Dohnanyi), the events to come lose all their resonance. The good news, (or bad depending on your outlook), is that he does it well, and through him, all the stir crazy panic of a tortured prisoner becomes ours.
When its all over, though, there's a definite conclusion, but its not nearly enough to counteract the mess created in the film's final sequence. We see the story end for Tarek, and no one else, even though the damage definitely stretches far past him. Normally, I'm all for a movie leaving me with my own thoughts, but this is one of those times when youre left begging for more information, and you never get it. As it stands, though, it does serve to keep the memory of the ending's pure chaos alive and well long after you leave the theater. This may or may not be a good thing...it's always good when a film sticks with you after you leave....what will stick with you in this case, though, you may not want to keep.
Overall, though, the film does succeed in many areas, and hammers its points home in the most unforgiving manner imaginable, including displaying the inherent nature of evil, the sheer inhumanity of the prison system, and that Europop is from hell. So, i do highly recommend it, but you've been warned...you better be in the right state of mind....this movie will ruin your day if you let it.
"Revolution is my name"
Okay, damn it... I’m going to see this before it leaves. No question about it. I just have to figure out how to violate all laws of time and space to do so. In the meantime, here’s another reaction:
Hey Harry, I got to see the German film Das Experiment recently in New York and since I didn't see any reviews of it on your site, I thought I'd throw you my take cause I think this is a film that your readers could really get into. I think it's a "Wow" film, one that really knocks you on your back. It's one of the toughest, ballsiest movies I've seen in a while and it has a narrative that just drives, pushes you along, envelops you, and you are fully put into this insane experiment right along with these other unsuspecting men. It's a movie that made me get out of my seat while watching it and that hasn't happened since Memento.
The film starts by putting us in a taxi with its driver, Tarek, as he reads an ad calling for men to get involved in this experiment where they will be put in a prison for two weeks. We find out Tarek used to be a journalist, but he burned out for one reason or another, and he sees this unique opportunity as a way to get him back in the game. He goes to the psychological tests and we see many working class men there as well, all eager to trade their time and minds for the generous cash offered. Tarek is accepted, gets these cool high-tech glasses with a camera in them to record the experience, and puts himself into the experiment.
Based on the psychological profiling, the men are divided into two groups: prisoners and guards. And at first, both groups take the experiment as a game, laughing and goofing around in their roles. But then things start to change. Tarek, who becomes Prison #77, plays a big role in that change as he tries to provoke the situation, provoke the ire of the guards, to get more juice for his story. But moreso, it's the animal inside the human that really makes the change occur. The experiment is set up to irritate the inner beast in both prisoners and guards and when it does, to use an awful cliché, all hell breaks loose. Opposed to Tarek's leadership role in the prisoners is Berus, who is sort of an outcast among his fun-loving guards (think Hitler). He's quiet and he has a body odor problem, but when the time comes for the guards to "punish" the prisoners, to set order, it is Berus who steps up with ideas and energy and brutality (think Hitler again). And when he does, well, to say any more is to spoil this movie. But what happens after these roles are solidified is nothing short of insane. If you know anything about group dynamics, you'll know that the worst is yet to come.
The actors are excellent. Tarek is played by Moritz Bleibtrue, the boyfriend in Run Lola Run and a huge German star, and he is can do more with his facial expressions and eyes than most actors can do with their entire body and voice. Justus von Dohnanyi, who plays Berus, is also very good at showing the boil of emotions under the surface. I'm not sure who plays the mysterious cellmate of Tarek who has an interesting agenda, but he's excellent as well. Director Oliver Hirschbiegel is the real star though as he concocts a unique and wild thriller. Like I said, the narrative just cooks, pushes, moves so fast, and he seduces you into this world and then suddenly he has you boxed in and then he begins to terrify you. It is master filmmaking in my opinion.
I'm one of those people who used to hate subtitled films, but after Crouching Tiger, The Devil's Backbone, Y Tu Mama Tambien, and this film, I'm learning that there's a lot of great film to be savored from other languages. Anyway, check this film out. It is truly special.
Oh yeah, check out the website, it's outstanding!!
Call me Dr. Jiboo.
Nice, man. It really does sound crazy. Thanks for your comments, both of you.
"Moriarty" out.
