Edukators: Os Edukadores

Die Fetten Jahre sind vorbei (The Edukators) is the first German film in competition at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival since Wim Wender's In weiter Ferne, so nah! (Faraway, So Close!) in 1993. The film's protagonists, Jan, Peter and Jule, dream of changing society. They form "The Edukators," a group that warns the rich and disturbs their material comfort with non-violent actions. In "the Edukators" Hans Weingartner raises the question: "What happened to the revolutionary generation of the sixties? Where are all the anarchists, hippies and idealists that wanted to change the world? I loved the movie, it is condemning and inspiring at the same time, depressing and uplifting and as a viewer you are forced to decide if you feel sympathy for the idealistic young people or the successful materialistic businessman. Or both?!

The cast is impressive. Daniel Bruhl once again shows that he can act. The plot attracts your entire attention as you live the experiences of these three kids in Berlin, and their quest to denounce the evils of capitalism. There's romance, jokes, great scenery and good music. At first it seemed to me this movie was the continuation of Good Bye Lenin (probably because of Daniel in Berlin?) Eitherway, It made me want to travel around Europe some more, learn German, and also think about my obsession with shopping and TV. Very inspiring. In a few words, this movie questions our understanding of happiness and success in a very entertaining way.

the edukators is a hugely enjoyable film that perfectly balances the human themes of friendship, love and trust with it's more political undertones.

the main characters are all performed with warmth and a playfulness that keeps the human side of the story engaging, while the plot develops with continual twists and tension. of course the idealism and activism of the protagonists plays a central roll, but the film never falls to the temptation to preach or bog itself down with weighty polemic.

all in all, the edukators is a breath of fresh air that is both satisfying to the head and the heart. highly recommended.

I went to this film expecting a comedy in the mold of "Sonnenallee" or "Good Bye Lenin", and I wasn't disappointed. The characters became very real to me, even Hardenberg, the kidnapped businessman, who was a bit wooden at the beginning. For me, the best part of the film was watching the relationships build between all 4 of the main characters, both before and after the kidnapping. There is really very little action in the film: it's more about watching the characters develop personally and in their dealings with each other. Lest this sound too dry, I found the film quite humorous at times, exciting and emotionally intense. The conclusion is left open to interpretation--but you'll have to watch the film quite carefully to have the data you need to make your own interpretation! Highly recommended!

I'm sure there will be plenty of people that will accuse "The edukators" of being such a cheap anti-capitalism manifest, a "cool" product designed for rich boys who feel like making a revolution. Whatever, nowadays we need idealism more than ever, we need to believe in lost causes, we have to appeal to the dignity of the individual and to spit in the riches' faces. "The Edukators" is one way of doing all those things from the cinema screen by telling the story of three rebel young guys that won't stay and look without doing a thing while the big corporations destroy this world and turn us into working-hard zombies. They have an idea: to assault mansions, mess everything up, to make trouble just to scare the owners... not to steal, not to break things. It is all about disconcerting. Obviously their "game" will soon get out of hand, they'll get involved in a kidnapping, and they will bump into something that's more powerful than revolution or ideals: love. Two boys, one girl... that means TROUBLES.

As I said, we need more movies like this one that are so well made, and also tries to open people's eyes. (Unfortunatelly I'm sure that those who should get their eyes opened will never watch "The Edukators".

PS: It is worth to watch "The Edukators" even if it's just for the last minutes of the film, with Jeff Buckley singing Leonard Cohen's "Hallellujah" (that also proves the director's exquisite taste).

*My rate: 8/10