Die Welle (2008)
49KDie Welle: Directed by Dennis Gansel. With Jürgen Vogel, Frederick Lau, Max Riemelt, Jennifer Ulrich. A high school teacher’s experiment to demonstrate to his students what life is like under a dictatorship spins horribly out of control when he forms a social unit with a life of its own.
“Die Welle details how a project on autocracy gradually leads to disastrous results. Initially without enthusiasm to teach the topic, Rainer Wegner conducts an unorthodox experiment to demonstrate to his students (equally lukewarm to start with) what life would be like under fascism. Neatly structured by days, the experiment begins with simple disciplines and grows to become an exclusive cult named u0026quot;the waveu0026quot; with its own uniform and salute.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSimilar to his 2004 film u0026quot;Before the Fallu0026quot; which concerns the Naziu0026#39;s seduction of youth, Dennis Gansel probes the individual psychologies that bring about uncontrollable collective movement, and how personal life is transformed by it. It offers a balanced view on an organisation like u0026quot;The Waveu0026quot; by enquiring whether it is a crystallisation of the studentsu0026#39; class-free utopia (at the cost of losing individuality) or a community for those in need of belonging and empowerment.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhat is frightening is that many (though not all) of them voluntarily follow the conformity through reasoning. Ironically, the mob mentality engulfing the students is what they condemn formerly; even the u0026quot;anarchistu0026quot; Rainer finds himself intoxicated with his increasingly idolised status.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAn engaging and powerful film with a sense of humour, suspension (terror arises when the light goes off during Karou0026#39;s anti-Wave poster distribution), twist (Raineru0026#39;s concluding speech), believable characterisation and excellent acting (Jürgen Vogel, Max Riemelt, and Frederick Lau). Inspired by a true event in California , this intelligent film merits attention particularly because of its non-preaching and humanistic treatment of a heavy subject.”
