die welle (the wave) (2008)

"it doesn't matter who's the best-looking, most popular or successful. the wave has made us all equal."

the wave is a german film that follows a high school class spiraling out of control. rainer wenger is a new and unorthodox teacher; he wears a ramones t-shirt, sports multiple tattoos, and is really excited to teach a curriculum about anarchy for a special week long class project. unfortunately due to circumstances he instead is forced to teach about autocracy. he decides to make the best of the situation, and make the class fun by trying a simulated dictatorship in the classroom setting. before the week is over his novel approach to education will have unforeseen consequences.

this was a pretty great movie, though a little less than what i was expecting. some of the soundtrack was a bit suspect, but capturing the nuance of youth culture is a difficult task. i was most impressed at how well the spirit of the wave was conveyed to the audience. it never felt like what the students were doing was forced. which is surprising given all the events take place in a single week and how quickly they fall into line within the movement. a fine movie about the dangers of fascism.