The Edukators (Die Fetten Jahre sind vorbei)
Directed by Hans Weingartner.
It’s an insecure feeling knowing that someone has been in your house and rifled through your personal possessions. It is even more disturbing if they didn’t take or damage anything, but just moved your possessions around: stacked pyramids out of the furniture, put the TV in the bath room, your dolls in the kitchen and your photos in the fridge. Even worse if they left you the message: “YOUR DAYS OF PLENTY ARE NUMBERED! — THE EDUKATORS”
This is what “The Edukators” do to the rich. The Edukators consist of Peter, Jan, and Jule. Peter has charisma, leadership and is an expert in security systems. His best friend Jan is intelligent, compassionate and the visionary of the group. Jule is Peter’s spirited and adventurous girlfriend with a massive debt to pay off. As idealists passionate about changing the wealth distribution of the world, they attempt to put insecurity into the lives of the secure. The adrenalin pumps when Jule realises she’s lost her mobile phone. It is lying there somewhere in the mansion of their target. They race around to find it, but they don’t hear the owner arriving home…
Elements of this film have a similar “racy” feel to Run Lola Run. The film itself is intelligent, witty and with strong well-written dialogue. Everything about the characters including their beliefs and conviction is not only engaging but highly believable. It is very easy to relate to them and their views. The film contains great acting, starring Daniel Brühl (Good Bye, Lenin!), Julia Jentsch, Stipe Erceg, Burghart Klaussner, and contains music from: Placebo, Franz Ferdinand, Radio 4, the Mark Lanegan Band, Depeche Mode, Leonard Cohen and The Eagles of Death Metal. The film techniques are well done with some great shots of Berlin, and some good splicing of events. The Edukators is a fantastic, enjoyable film with great conviction.
7/10
Michael Hill
