Rainer Wegner (Vogel) is a freewheeling post-punk teacher in a German high school who, to his dismay, has to teach autocracy in project week. His pupils are also less than enthralled by the prospect. As one sighs: “The Nazis sucked, we get it.” When Wegner suggests an experiment to see if a dictatorship could again be possible, his initially sceptical class embrace the idea, creating a group called The Wave. Before long, The Wave has taken over the school, leading to violence and ostracism. It’s a fascinating notion, convincingly realised. While it seems intrinsically German, the film is actually based on events in a Californian school in 1967 - a Hollywood remake is surely not far off.
The Wave Review
A high school teacher's unusual experiment to demonstrate to his students what life is like under a dictatorship spins horribly out of control when he forms a social unit with a life of its own.
Release Date:
19 Sep 2008
Running Time:
107 minutes
Certificate:
15
Original Title:
Wave, The
A fascinating notion, convincingly realised.
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