Movie Reviews

The Edukators

2 July 2005

Two years ago, you might have had the good fortune to see Goodbye Lenin!, that gentle German comedy about a young man who protects his ailing, devotedly socialist mother from finding out about the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of Communism, afraid that the shock might kill her. This film started a craze called ostalgie: nostalgia for East Germany.

            The Edukators features Daniel Brühl, the sweet-faced star of Goodbye Lenin! – which is fair enough, because it’s basically cinematic ostalgie. Though set in present day Berlin, its heroes sing the praises of socialism, while denouncing the “capitalist dictatorship”. Jan (Brühl) and his friend Peter (Stipe Erceg) are rebels, breaking in to wealthy households, rearranging the furniture and valuables, then disappearing, scaring their victims by leaving cryptic notes signed “The Edukators”. They are like modern-day Robin Hoods, except that they don’t give to the poor… or steal from the rich, for that matter. Jan in particular follows a strict moral code: no stealing, just scaring. Like a conceptual artist (which is basically what he is), he believes that he is making a political point.

            Peter’s girlfriend Jule (Julie Jentsch) is a victim of capitalist society. Jule works at a classy restaurant, surprisingly polite to her cold-hearted boss and obnoxious patrons. Struggling to pay off a rich man’s Mercedes that she wrote off in an accident, Jule keeps her anger bottled inside. She and Jan are both political do-gooders, but while he is an aggressive Jack Mundey type, she is more like a pleasant Natasha Stott Despoja type. She’s too well-behaved for Edukator-style mischief. Oh, and as we soon discover, she’s a klutz. Offered a chance of revenge against her Merc-driving nemesis, however, she joins the Edukators – and everything goes pear-shaped.

            It is best not to say more about the mostly unpredictable storyline. Writer-director Hans Weingartner somehow delivers both an effective thriller (without rapid editing or an abundance of scary music) and an intriguing character drama, with a quartet (yes, a quartet) of strong performances. It is recommended to any rebels and political idealists out there, who will find it heart-warming and perhaps even enlightening. As you have probably guessed, the Edukators become the edukated.