SeeQuant Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

ChampDavSlim The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

Kodie Bird True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Adeel Hail Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

Tweekums As this film opens we see a family returning to their large and obviously expensive house; something is wrong though; all their possessions have been rearranged; nothing has been stolen though and a note has been left which states 'the days of plenty are over'; clearly whoever broke wanted to make a statement. We soon learn that the people who did it were two young radicals named Jan and Peter. Peter's girlfriend Jule knows nothing about these events until she tells Jan how she is almost €100,000 in debt because she crashed into a businessman's Mercedes while uninsured; Jan then tells her what he and Peter get up to. They are not far from where the businessman lives so Jule suggests they go and look at his house; when there is nobody home she suggests he should be the next victim and they do it there and then; rearranging items and even throwing a couch in the pool... Jule thinks it was great fun... until she realises she dropped her phone there! The two of them return but while they are searching Herr Hardenberg, the businessman, returns. Not knowing what to do they call Peter and the three of them kidnap Hardenberg and head to a remote alpine cottage. Here they discuss what they should do with Hardenberg; they also learn that he wasn't always a wealthy capitalist; once he was a radical just like them... but does that mean they can trust him when he says he won't report them to the police?When I started watching this film I wasn't sure what to expect; I knew it involved a kidnapping but had no idea how it would end; shortly after they got to their scenic hideaway I had a very good idea how it would all end... but it didn't! While the politics does seem rather heavy handed at times, we are clearly meant to sympathise with the trio, it doesn't spoil the film and much of the politics of the trio can be put down to their youthful naïveté. As well as looking at the morality of capitalism there is some sexual politics too as Hardenberg talks of his days of free love in the sixties but when he lets on that he knows Jule is involved with Jan it becomes clear that Peter is not happy with what he learns. While I don't speak German I thought the actors did a fine job keeping their characters believable in an extreme situation.

Jasmin While the story kept my interest all throughout the movie, it still left a bitter taste in my mouth. The socialist crap those three youngsters were babbling all along was annoying. Unfortunately, the director is obviously on their side, because the only character who could have countered their opinions with facts and real experience was their kidnapping victim. But that poor fella just stays nice and is kind to them, for reasons not obvious enough to me (clearly he didn't want to get hurt, but once they are in nature's paradise, all three turn out to be quite tame). The victim never criticizes their childish and naive arguments, even though he was a guy who obviously was a "Been there, done that" (Generation 69, as people of his age are called when they were part of the Hippie and Protester Generation in Germany). It is true on the other hand that many people let go of their ideals along the way, and that adults settle all to quickly for the easy way. So the interaction during the kidnapping is quite intriguing. Spoiler coming: However, their conversations lead to nowhere, because not one character develops along the way, nobody shows a least a slight improvement. Or as the three characters state it delicately on a piece of paper: Some people never change. Sadly enough, Weingärtner didn't notice that the same accounts for his story telling and its lack of character development.

Shannon Weiss The Edukators presents itself as a dark comedy aimed at deconstructing contemporary bourgeois society with a satirical wit. At surface value the films tells the story of self- proclaimed revolutionaries who break into German villas to execute their own political agenda. Rather than with Robin Hood tactics of give and take, or rather take to give, the Edukators simply rearrange the possessions found within the houses they enter; their goal is to strip the wealthy of the false sense of security they procure through financial stability. The film is sure to surprise as its hidden layers unfold and suddenly poignant moments arise. The filmmakers aim to invoke in their viewers a political voice and an urgency to take action. Referencing past revolutionaries and utilizing contemporary music as a stimulator, the film speaks on behalf of an archetypal counter-culture while avoiding any sense of melodrama or impracticality. In addition the narrative touches on a variety of universal themes that include but are not limited to self-discovery, love, friendship, betrayal, and morality. The film maintains a subtle level of sentimentality that allows piercing moments of suspense to rise to the surface while social implications strike the viewer in a meaningful but not overbearing way.

claudecat I give this film a lot of credit for even approaching some of the issues the characters discuss-- when was the last time you saw a Hollywood film that even acknowledged the huge gulf between rich and poor in our world? But unfortunately, the screenwriter could have done a much better job exploring these issues. I found the pacing of the movie unbearably slow, and the characters' talk about their political beliefs superficial and repetitive. The main players are not very well fleshed out by the dialogue, so your interest in them is entirely dependent on how well you like the actors. The foreshadowing was extremely heavy, so it's easy to predict what's about to happen as the story goes along, though the final ending did surprise me.I got the impression that German viewers would get more out of the movie than Americans: there are a number of quick references to political movements I had never heard of, that must have more resonance in Germany.