Movie Review: THE EDUKATORS (2004)
The Edukators follows anti-capitalist activists and best friends Jan and Peter, and Peter’s girlfriend Jule. Struggling vainly against the system, Jan and Peter secretly perform their own form of non-aggressive, subversive activism by breaking into rich conservative’s houses and re-arranging their belongings in confusing and creative displays, to highlight the ridiculous and pointless materialism of their targets. With this, they also leave provocative and ‘educational’ notes, along the lines of: “Your days of plenty are numbered” or “You have too much money”. When Jule gets involved and they end up kidnapping a wealthy executive, their lives are irrevocably altered.
This tale of idealistic youth is shot on a handheld camera, which works well with the film’s themes. The aesthetics aren’t overly stylized or amateurish, and fit the relaxed mood of the film. Daniel Bruhl, Julia Jentsch, Stipe Erceg, and Burghart Klaussner are perfectly cast and the believability of The Edukators is owed to these four talented actors portraying the hostage and his inadvertent captors. There is an atmosphere of sincerity throughout this film that is owed to the films visual style as well as the acting – the earnest hopefulness of the young trio is captured well.
The pace of the film is slow, after the initial excitement of the kidnapping, the narrative focuses on the drama between its leads. An isolated mountaintop environment provides a fitting backdrop to some interesting discussions about the state of the world between the hostage and his ‘educators’. The confined quarters also sees the untangling of the inevitable love triangle between Jan, Jule and Peter.
Not a lot happens in The Edukators, but it is engaging throughout, as it meanders towards its resolution. Being centred around a hostage situation, the ending to this film is crucial to its success or failure. Fortunately, the simple and clever conclusion brings the narrative to a satisfying end, without which the film most likely would be far less appealing as a whole.
The Edukators is at times funny and romantic; the politics appear really just as a context for a fairly light-hearted and likeable drama. The film is not heavy on political rhetoric, but is certainly thought provoking. This is a charming film that leaves you in a good mood and perhaps even feeling a little inspired.
Worth watching: 3.5/5