Don't let anyone tell you horror stories about the camera work, they probably never had an ounce of imagination anywhere in their bodies!

For those of us who are bored blind with standard Hollywood-ian movies, this kind of camera work is very refreshing. The constant motion puts us right into the characters' world and helps foster an instant connection with them. Not that one wouldn't connect with them without the fancy directing! On the contrary, Jan, Jule, and Peter will reawaken the idealist in anyone.

The movie is essentially about three friends with seemingly no particular direction in life other than petty political activism now and then. But Peter and Jan have found a very clever way of subverting the socio-economic system they so despise. Calling themselves "the Edukators", they break into the homes of the fabulously wealthy only to make some absurd adjustments to the arrangement of their furniture and leave a simple note behind: "You have too much money."

With this basic plot, The Edukators delves into that ill-defined human notion of morality, eventually blurring the line between the ethics of social politics and the ethics of personal relationships.

Don't let the plot scare you, you don't have to be an anarchist to enjoy this movie! It's well-written, beautifully shot, and flawlessly performed. Some of the drawbacks are that it gets a little long and preachy at the end (which happens fairly often to new directors),but let's not nitpick. I'm willing to gloss over the film's (rare) faults because, in the end, there is far too much to take home from this movie. It's a real shame that some would wish to dismiss it as some crackpot anarchist film.

A very interesting, psychologically well developed film, that starts from the rather simple (the whole of the establishment are 'a wunch of bankers', as the British say) and then becomes more complex. The problem of social precariousness touches many young people today I think, though there are probably not so many around who'd also take 'revolutionary action' as the people in the film do.

The development of the Hardenberg character was also very interesting: at first, he is a very rich top manager, also a rather pathetic figure, but then, as he gets in touch with his own idealistic past, he shows much strength and wisdom. The story of the ménage à trois vs. 'free love' also shows that young people then where even more radical than they are now...

***SPOILERS!***

The ending left me bewildered though. After seeing the film, both my boyfriend and I interpreted it in he way that Hardenberg has succumbed to the establishment again. But here on IMDb I read some other interpretations, notably that it was him who helped them to get to the Mediterrenean and who gave him his boat and money. The message in the empty apartment, 'Some people never change', also pointed into this direction. But why the attack by the police - especially with anti-terrorist forces - was still necessary then, is quite beyond me. Also, Hardenberg didn't at all look amused or content in the police car - as he obviously would have if he had only wanted to fool the cops.

the edukators is a hugely enjoyable film that perfectly balances the human themes of friendship, love and trust with it's more political undertones.

the main characters are all performed with warmth and a playfulness that keeps the human side of the story engaging, while the plot develops with continual twists and tension. of course the idealism and activism of the protagonists plays a central roll, but the film never falls to the temptation to preach or bog itself down with weighty polemic.

all in all, the edukators is a breath of fresh air that is both satisfying to the head and the heart. highly recommended.