While waiting for the slew of December blockbusters and potential Oscar-worthy films to arrive, the movie-going public is often left with few mainstream movies worth seeing. Luckily, Madison has numerous art-house theaters that carry foreign, independent and small-release movies that would be unavailable elsewhere. \Das Experiment,"" currently showing at The Orpheum, is a perfect example of an interesting foreign film that is better than most alternatives.
The experiment in question is largely based on the Stanford Prison Experiment of 1971. This experiment took college students and placed them randomly into two camps: prisoners and guards. The two groups then assumed their roles for the experiment, expected to span two weeks. After six days, the director pulled the plug; guards were becoming cruel and sadistic, while prisoners were showing signs of great stress. The bewildering effectiveness of this experiment spawned a book, ""Black Box,"" by Mario Giordano. ""Das Experiment"" takes the Stanford Prison Experiment and places it in Germany, devolving towards an inevitable ending that still involves the viewer throughout.
The protagonist is the only actor that American audiences are likely to recognize; cab driver Tarek Fahd is played by Moritz Bleibtreu, most well known for his role as Manni in 1999's ""Run Lola Run."" Tarek is also a freelance journalist; hearing of the experiment and smelling a story, he signs up and is cast as a prisoner. Bleibtreu does marvelously in the role, confirming that his performance in Lola was more than just glow from co-star Franka Potente (""Bourne Identity"").
However, the filmmakers did err on occasion. Several implausible moments drag the film down a bit. For example, the scientists conducting the experiment place cameras throughout the prison to monitor all action; however, for some unknown reason, they miss one dark room. Of course, our guards drag Tarek in there and beat him mercilessly at one point. This sort of illogical situation pulls the viewer's thought process out of the flow of the film'instead of marveling at the people and their situation, the audience is wondering what they missed.
Despite these minor holes and the fact that the film's progression is predictable (even unavoidable), ""Das Experiment"" provides a solid, enjoyable movie. Moritz Bleibtreu is incredible and hopefully bound for American roles like his Lola counterpart. As a look into the psychological aspects of prisoners and guards, ""Das Experiment"" is another foreign gem to discover.
