The Edukators (DVD)

note: also appears in part on Flixster and The Student Room There are two camps who are going to have something to say about The Edukators: one will say that it's a fun and clever look at the consumerist society we live in now, with exuberant performances and a fun premise, while others will decry it as naive and sickeningly left-wing to the point of Socialist. When I was younger, this was one of my favourite films, although as I have grown and my political stances have changed, I must say that my opinion has changed of it somewhat. Here below is an opinion I wrote on it four years ago: "An utterly superb, and underseen commentary on society ...  Read the complete review

Directed by hans Weingartner and nominated for the 2004 Golden Palm award at Cannes film festival, The Edukators is a German-Austrian film set in contemporary Berlin. Focusing on the lives of 3 young activists, Jule (Julia Jentsch), her boyfriend Peter (Stipe Erceg) and his morally righteous best-friend Jan (Daniel Bruehl, of Good Bye Lenin fame), the story unfolds in two directions. The film opens with a obviously wealthy family returning to their house to find it rearranged but nothing missing or destroyed and a letter saying Die fetten Jahre sind vorbei (literally; the fat years are over meaning the days of plenty are numbered), signed the Edukators. ...  Read the complete review

When you're trying to go about your business in the 'rat race' there's nothing more irritating than eco protesters throwing a spanner in the works with some sort of annoying protest to make that drudgery even worse. They are nearly all middle-class kids dodging lectures or putting off their careers by sitting in trees or on runways all summer and their morals stance seems to be based on some sort of childish class guilt rebellion against their privileged upbringing. Their parents probably did the same things at the best universities when they were kids but now, rather ironically, marooned at Stanstead Airport trying to take the flights that take them to business meetings ...  Read the complete review