Now, this movie could only have been made as a German movie. If it had been and Australian movie or an English movie, it wouldn't have made the impact on me that it did. The realistic interested is all because Germany was under the rule of a dictator, and I question what do most Germans think about Adolf Hitler or being ruled by a dictator. There is in fact one student who states that a dictatorship would be impossible today. The teacher then goes about to prove that it is not impossible, and that a dictatorship can happen if the conditions are right.
The simple things that the teacher has the students do are very tiny. He starts by having the students stand to talk, telling them that it helps open their minds and lets the air flow to their brains helping them make smart and thoughtful comments. Then he says that maybe they should wear a uniform to make everyone equal. Things just go downhill from there.
I wasn't sure how the movie would end, which is great because these days so many movies are predictable, and there are no surprises, but it was fantastic.
Mostly, I enjoyed this movie because the acting was great. The normal teenage experiences are all there, but we see depth in their characters, and questions are asked, but they are so subtle that it doesn't make the viewer break from the story to focus on the question. The question really is, could a dictatorship happen in Germany today.
I am often interested in the dealings and political insight of other countries. Just last week I was looking into North Korea and what it is like to live there, and it was very insightful and almost frightening. This movie gave me some of the same feelings, and made me ask some questions. I wonder how Germans feel about Adolf Hitler and the Holocaust. I wonder how the Holocaust may continue to affect them, and are they worried that another dictator is waiting in the wings.
I think I liked this movie so much, not just for the interesting characters, or the subtle drama, but because it made me ask questions that I hadn't thought of before. I enjoyed that, and I honestly think others might enjoy this as well.
I will also say that I watched this movie thinking it would be something else. I watch a lot of horror, and the trailer for this movie made me think it was a horror move, but it wasn't, it was more suspenseful and thought-provoking. I recommend this for when you don't mind reading your movie, or when you are in the mood for a horror movie.