Ben Lewis finds much to recommend in 2008’s chilling Die Welle (The Wave).
I miss iPlayer. Why? Well apart from being a great tool for procrastinating which UK licensing laws forbid me from accessing out here, it is also the reason why I stumbled across this German gem of a film Die Welle, or ‘The Wave’.
This drama, verging on a tame thriller, directed by Dennis Gansel depicts the transformation of a class of typical German schoolchildren into a fascist entity in less than a week. For Project Week, students have to sign up to classes on different ideologies, with anarchist and eventual quasi-Fuhrer Rainer Wenger unwillingly having to teach the Autocracy class.
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What follows is the remarkable change of this class from a typical group of young people into an unnerving, unstoppable authoritarian body, self-titled ‘The Wave’.
This transpires after the widely liked and incredibly charismatic Wenger starts a social experiment to show his pupils just how easy an authoritarian state could come about. His motivation? One student remarks that Germany could never become a dictatorship again, with another supporting him by categorically stating that they are ‘way beyond that’.
The film is compelling, with the incremental stages of Rainer’s class’ downward spiral slickly handled. It leaves the viewer wishing that the few savvy students who can see what is unfolding could just make their peers realise the same. What’s more uncomfortable is seeing just how brainwashed one socially rejected pupil is, seemingly lost to the ‘cause’ and leading to very anxious viewing as his actions become increasingly militant.
Image credit: Flickering Myth
The problem is that Rainer loses control of his experiment; he seemingly gets caught up in the very hysteria he creates to educate his students.
At first, he is the boy who never really grew up, and then he’s the anarchist who wants to prove a point, creating a dictatorial persona named Herr Wenger. But just as quickly as his students, Rainer seems to lose himself to Herr Wenger and enjoy his increasing power.
You end up feeling empathy for the man but pity for his hamartia, whose very actions during this one week contrast so much with the glimpses we see of the man normally; a loving husband, a respected and much liked teacher and a kid himself deep down.
It’s also ironic and all the more chilling that he himself gets caught up in the hysteria considering Rainer is a self-proclaimed anarchist. What compounds this sentiment is the fact that the film is based on real life events.
A real social experiment took place in a school in the USA in the 1970s called the Third Wave with remarkable similarities to the film. Combined with the right economic and social situation, the potential for totalitarianism is clear – even now in Greece and the rise of Golden Dawn. It’s a sobering thought that perhaps you can’t leave reality at home. (Sorry Odeon cinemas).
Image credit: Collider
I mean, just how far could ‘The Wave’ have gone? Of course there are similarities to Germany’s past, but it would be crazy to think it could have led to the second coming of the Nazis. However, this is only after reflection and several viewings, for there’s a horrible buildup of tension in the film, climaxing with scenes that feel a little contrived given that this is meant to happen within a week.
I do find it hard to believe that a school would allow some of these things to happen. I mean marching on the spot in class? I couldn’t even speak to a friend on the other side of the classroom without risking the wrath of some teachers. Maybe that was their line; quasi-fascist entities yes, questionable noise pollution no. I digress, but the fact that the film was based on a real social experiment does add a sobering quality to the film.
Regardless, The Wave is another captivating watch and really is unfairly rated on some websites. It is one of those films that will stay with you, even years after you’ve seen it, only to resurface when you find yourself needing to write on foreign film for your university student newspaper.
Just maybe ignore the wave hand gesture. They must have had a laugh doing that, or perhaps it’s just a fine example of something being lost in translation.
Ben Lewis
exeposedev 