Movie, 2008

A largely powerful, provocative film looking at an experiment in a political science class that mushrooms and takes on a life of its own. While this is a bold idea – particularly as a German film reflecting on dictatorship – and while the film is based, in part, on an experiment which took place in a Californian school, the film loses a little impact with the easy-to-spot character and plot developments and a sense of disbelief. In a film which looks like a documentary, the time frame feels a little condensed. There are, however, some really great moments, and the acting and feel of the film are both fine. Worth a look, though not essential.