THE EXPERIMENT

Germany, 2001, 120 minutes, Colour.
Moritz Bleibtreu, Christian Berkel.
Directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel.

The Experiment was a commercial success in Germany. It says that it is based on experiments done in Palo Alto, California. Whatever the truth of this, The Experiment has been adapted very well to the German situation, especially in the light of the behaviour of so many people before and during World War II. It highlights, especially, the experience of victimhood in prisons and it highlights as well the experience of power by ordinary people who are put into positions as guards.

The film stars Moritz Bleibtreu, the star of such films as Run, Lola, Run. He portrays a taxi driver, a journalist who has had a breakdown, who is attracted by the information about the experiment, volunteers, has special glasses to video-record the experiences and who becomes the unofficial leader of the rebels in the group. He is balanced by a sullen and surly businessman, all efficiency, who seems silent but eventually takes over as the leader of the sadistic guards.

The film is a role-play of prisoners and guards, a psycho-drama that illustrates the human nature. As it gets out of hand, beyond the control of those who are meant to be monitoring it, it gives a frightening picture of what can happen in society, especially when people's needs become manifest and they exercise power leading to violence.

1. The impact of the film? Watchable? Its portrait of human nature, its picture of the evil inside human beings and the capacity for cruelty, the occasions for it being manifested? The film as a psycho-drama illustrating this?

2. The setting, the city, the taxis and the streets, ordinary people, the interviews, the specially set up prison, the medical centre? The ordinary realism turning into an artificial prison and a place for violence and death? The musical score and its atmosphere?

3. The title and its focus on experimentation with the psychology of human beings, the artificial set-up, the claim that it was controlled and supervised, people being free, being paid, the possibility of leaving or not? The psychological testing and the suitability of the candidates? Those in control knowing who would exercise leadership for and against and contriving this? The impact on people, their ability to withstand such role-playing or not? The experiment and its being doomed to failure, to cruelty, to death?

4. The people in control of the experiment, the doctor and his plans and observation, his woman assistant and her concern, her various interventions to stop the experiment? The young supervisor watching on the video monitor? The sponsoring of the experiment, the expected results, the contribution to science and psychology?

5. The advertisement, the conditions, the money? The attraction of the various men? The nature of the interviews, their explaining their backgrounds, their hopes? The collage of motivation for undertaking the experiment?

6. Tarek and his being a taxi driver, his background experience of journalism, his passengers? Seeing the advertisement, his curiosity? The crash with Dora, the encounter, going home with her, the relationship and its consequences? The philosophy that nothing is random but all is fated? The interconnection with Dora and her leaving early, her own story, her husband, Canada? Her remaining in Germany? Tarek and his contact with the newspaper, getting the equipment for videoing the experiment?

7. The arrival of the men, the briefing, the routines, the choices of who was to be prisoner and who was to be guard? The director of the experiment and his speeches, his beliefs, scientific grounding, wanting data? Presumption, arrogance? His assistant and her caution? The young assistant and his monitoring the group? The continuing progress of the experiment, the director and his seeming ruthlessness and non-intervention, the woman and her wanting to intervene? The supervisor going away, out of reach? The woman and her being taken by the guards, stripped and humiliated, imprisoned? The young supervisor and his being taken, tortured, imprisoned? The final contact with the director, his coming to the medical centre, his being appalled, the attack by the guards and his death? The moral of the organisers of the experiment being subjected to the worst aspects of the experiment?

8. The guards, their being pleased to be guards, putting on the uniforms, told to be non-violent? The repercussions of their position, exercise of power, the rules? Their treatment of the prisoners, the clichés and stereotypes of films etc? Their discussions? The prisoners and the cells, the meals, the recreation, the humiliations? The growing attitude towards Tarek? The guard who was the Elvis Presley impersonator? Happy-go-lucky, entering into the experience of the guards, his growing cruelty, physical violence? His antagonism towards the guard who sided with the prisoners? His getting out of hand? The guard who was sympathetic, his becoming the victim of the guards, tortured and imprisoned? The other guards, their status, the leadership of Berus, their entering into the violence, physically attacking the prisoners? Some of them wanting finally to back off?

9. Berus, his businesslike attitude, quiet? Challenged by the other guards, his coming out of himself, becoming the leader? (This expected by the director and the others?) His gradual exercise of power, sadistic? His domination of Tarek? The torture, his being able to go home and balance his power? His gradual dominance of the others, his deviousness, knowing the lie of the land in the medical centre, using it? Leading the rebellion against the director and his assistants? His ruthlessness, the final confrontation with the director, his death? The confrontation with Tarek and the chase through the centre? Being confronted with what had happened to him? Berus and the image of the ordinary person, evil capacities, abuse of power, cruelty, the image of Nazi Germany and ordinary people becoming guards?

10. The prisoners, the cheerfulness, the jokes, the cells, the sharing, the routines? Tarek and his interaction with the pilot, the pilot keeping himself to himself, suspicions? Their gradually making friends, his advising Tarek? The techniques for survival? The kiosk owner and his friendship with Tarek, being humiliated, the revelation that he had no friends? The importance of the visits, Tarek with Dora coming to see him, sending the message? Berus being shrewd and intercepting the message? His charm towards Dora? The kiosk man having no visitors? The writing of the letters, the kiosk man writing to Tarek, Berus intercepting this message as well?

11. The growing pressures within the cells, the kiosk owner and his being stripped, seated, violence? His ultimate death? The others humiliated, stripped? Tarek and his being stripped, in the cell, cleaning the toilets with his garment? The experience of prisoners, inescapable? The background of their being able to leave at any time, collect their money? Some of the prisoners willing to leave, even without the money?

12. The experience growing to a crisis? Tarek and his leadership, the escape, the pursuit through the building, the violent encounters, the deaths, the Elvis impersonator and his death? The final confrontation with the help of the pilot?

13. The aftermath of the experiment? The effect on all of those participating? On the management? The danger of this kind of psychological experimentation - but the horror of what it reveals?