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A makeshift prison is set up in a research lab, complete with cells, bars and surveillance cameras. For two weeks 20 male participants are hired to play prisoners and guards. The 'prisoners' are locked up and have to follow seemingly mild rules, and the 'guards' are told simply to retain order without using physical violence. Everybody is free to quit at any time, thereby forfeiting payment. In the beginning the mood between both groups is insecure and rather emphatic. But soon quarrels arise and the wardens employ ever more drastic sanctions to confirm their authority.
Moritz Bleibtreu: Tarek Fahd - Häftling Nr. 77 / Prisoner #77
Das Experiment is a 2001 German film based upon Mario Giordano's novel Black Box and a real life experiment which took place in 1971 at the infamous Stanford Prison.
Directed by the highly skilled Oliver Hirschbiegel (The man behind Der Untergang) we see a rather disturbing yet gripping psychological thriller come alive on the big screen.
So the story begins with Tarek Fahd(played wonderfully by Moritz Bleibtreu), a frustrated taxi-driver, contemplating participating in a bizarre test which was advertised in the paper. 4000 marks for a 14 day experiment involving a conditioned prison. Simple right? Not quite.
Without further ado, Tarek decides to become involved with the test and meets the other candidates while also meeting the doctors running the experiment.
Each man is divided into guards and prisoners. While the guards must maintain order at any cost without resorting to violence, the prisoners are given numbers and put in cells, in groups of three to each cell available. The guards call the prisoners not by names but by their designated number.
The experiment starts off without too much of a problem but things soon get complicated when the guards begin to panic about keeping control and abuse and humiliate all the inmates. Tarek, now called 77 is blamed for causing dissent amongst the prisoners... Circumstances begin to unravel fast as order soon becomes a chaotic mess. Survival and escape soon become priorities for those subjected to the cruelty of the guards.
Das Experiment is a thorough study of the human psyche, in every regard the film captures the disturbing things that even the most seemingly civilized human being is capable of doing when utterly convinced he is merely following the rules. He will do anything and everything, immoral or cruel, when able to justify and convince himself he is just following orders. Cleverly, it shows how primitive and tyrannical this thing we call humanity can be when pluming and exploring the depths of greed, anger and manipulation. The guards tend to do the things they do out of desperation, frustration and a determination to complete the project and be paid the 4000 marks regardless of what is right or wrong or moral. The only thing on their minds is that failure is unthinkable. This is why the experiment spirals out of control. Even the doctors become captured and hurt as the game takes a bizarre twist...
Tarek is put inside a confined black box, and the prisoners mouths are taped up, while one of the Wardens(The Elvis impersonator) is attempting to sexually abuse the red headed Dr Grimm. It is certainly one of those films which will have you glued to the screen for the entire duration because it is full of shocks and surprises. Whether it's the power struggle between Warden Berus(A powerful, crazed performance from Justus von Dohnányi) and Tarek/77, or the thrilling conclusion which will have your heart in your mouth, it has to be said Das Experiment is one of those films which makes audiences ponder and think about the moral implications and actions we take when put in groups. The moves we make, the stances we take and the pathological routes that we follow based on fundamentally irrational thoughts and emotions. It asks us to think about reason and rationality otherwise without these it warns, it could be our ultimate undoing. As we find out from the crazy proceedings we see here.
It must also be said that the music created by Alexander van Bubenheim heightens the tension and moods that the visuals provide, elevating the whole affair with electrifying bursts of immense excitement. Cinematography by Rainer Klausmann is top notch and a large amount of shots, segments and sequences heighten the feeling of claustrophobia, depression and terror. The film makes us feel as well as think which is important. Oliver Hirschbiegel conducts his cast and crew with poignancy and effectiveness which affirmly seals his place as a skilled director in my mind yet again.
Das Experiment comes highly recommended and without a doubt one that will leave you pondering even long after the film has finished. I found myself asking those alluring questions like how far would you or I go in a situation like that? What would we do differently? And more importantly if we made mistakes would we learn from them?
9/10
