The Edukators

In The Edukators, two young anti-globalization activists are looking for ingenious ways to unsettle the middle-classes and get them to re-think their comfortable lives. Peter and Jan secretly break into houses in well-to-districts having watched to study when they’re on holiday. Then they shake up possessions, stealing nothing, hurting no one and leaving an unsettling calling-card behind for good measure.

The dynamics change when Peter decides to let his girlfriend Jule in on the secret. A male duo then becomes a trio involving a girlfriend and that leads to sexual tension since Jule and Jan starts to have feelings for each other unbeknownst to Peter. Also, a break-in that previously might have been simple, goes awry when they spend longer at the property. Once the owner comes home, one thing leads to another and the next law they break is a key one, kidnap, and worse there’s no proper thinking going on as to what they are going to do with him.

One thing is for sure though, the kidnapped owner, a businessman in his 40’s will have to think of all manner of ways to evoke sympathy if he is save his own skin.

This is the first German-language film selected for the Cannes competition in 11 years and justifiably so, since this is a class act. It manages to be freethinking, tense and funny and may make many cinemagoers question their own teenage years. If anything this is a rites-of-passage movie for young adults but it would be wrong just to see it in that light.

Austrian-born director Hans Weingartner who it turns out is also a neuroscientist, was an archetypal angry young man who has admitted that the story was inspired by his own frustration with the lack of political ideals in those of his own generation.

Good performances from the three main leads. Daniel Bruhl will be known more widely due to his memorably performance in Good Bye Lenin! and newcomers Julia Jentsch and Stipe Erceg will be a lot better known after their solid performances here. There’s little wrong with it and its well worth seeing.

Matt Arnoldi