Rent The Wave (2008)
3.7 of 5 from 208 ratings
1h 42min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Based on a real-life experiment that took place in a Californian high school, The Wave tells the story of a high school teacher's unusual class experiment. In an attempt to demonstrate what life is like under a dictatorship, the teacher comes up with an experiment to explain to his students how totalitarian governments work. A role-playing game with tragic results. Within a few days, what began with harmless notions like discipline and community builds into a real movement: The Wave. As the students boundaries are pushed, things begin to spiral out of control and this newly found cult starts to take on a life of its own.
- Actors:
- Frederick Lau, Max Riemelt, Jennifer Ulrich, Jürgen Vogel, Christiane Paul, Jacob Matschenz, Cristina do Rego, Elyas M'Barek, Maximilian Vollmar, Max Mauff, Ferdinand Schmidt-Modrow, Tim Oliver Schultz, Amelie Kiefer, Fabian Preger, Odine Johne, Tino Mewes, Karoline Teska, Marco Bretscher-Coschignano, Lennard Bertzbach, Thommy Schwimmer
- Directors:
- Dennis Gansel
- Writers:
- Ron Jones, Johnny Dawkins
- Aka:
- Die Welle
- Studio:
- Momentum
- Genres:
- Drama
- Collections:
- Back to School: Best Films Featuring Teachers
- Countries:
- Germany
More like The Wave
Found in these customers lists
874 films by skc
Reviews (4) of The Wave
Will It Break? - The Wave review by CP Customer
The Wave follows the recent German film industry output by tackling demons of the past, namely fascism. Like Downfall and Das Experiment before it, the result is extremely powerful and thought provoking. Based on true-life events in America during the 60’s, a college class form The Third Wave to debate whether fascism could exist once again in Germany. For this film the ‘third’ prefix is dropped and the setting is switched from the States to German school - it makes a refreshing change to see a European film taking an American source! While some facts have been enhanced, or elements introduced to accommodate the modern setting, the underlying force remains. Students from all backgrounds become loyal and disciplined to The Wave and its rules. Soon the teacher as head of the movement is faced with some tough decisions as the movement spirals out of control. The need to belong and feel part of a group is evident, but will the followers react, as they should when events start to occur? The Wave is excellent and hard hitting, well worth experiencing.
6 out of 9 members found this review helpful.
Excellent film - The Wave review by PV
This is an excellent film: well written and directed and acted with a great soundtrack. And it actually has something to say too.
Makes most Hollywood movies look like the trite commercial brain dead trash they are.
Highly recommended to all intelligent and thinking people who hate dumb Hollywood action movie dumb teen fodder.
1 out of 4 members found this review helpful.
Nearly amazing - The Wave review by RL
First of all Jurgen Vogel (plays the teacher) is really, really great in this. He's incredibly human and very believable. I was thinking it'd be cool if him and Daniel Bruhl (Goodbye Lenin!) were in a film together (they are!). It's certainly massively entertaining and kept my attention well throughout. As many others on here have commented though it does have one or two flaws to stop it from being an amazing film. The idea that the teacher and manipulate a group of teenagers to form a quasi-fascist, semi-violent group is not unbelievable. However the speed he does it in (five days) and the fact he doesn't mean to makes it all so unbelievable. Which is a shame because had the teacher had been evil and the film set over a much longer period, it'd be 5 out of 5 for me.
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.