The Edukators

‘Die Fetten Jahren sind vorbei’ is the original German title of the film, literally ‘The fat years are over’. And they certainly are becoming so for many in the world, of course days of plenty are numbered when you live in a hierarchy, and this is one of the films many fantastic key points.

Released in late 2004 and directed by Hans Weingartner, ‘The Edukators’ is a fun yet meaningful piece which seeks to provide drama and debate in the same instance. Portraying the lives of three young activists, frustrated with the world. The film starts with a display of honesty, a protest about the incorrectness of third world shoe production goes from the street and into a retail store, inevitably bringing about police intervention and punishment. It is from this very early point in the film that Weingartner establishes the feeling of frustration with power and the injustice of those who have it.

When Jule (Julia Jentsch) loses her apartment and job as a waitress in a middle-class restaurant, she moves in with boyfriend Peter (Stipe Erceg) and his friend Jan (Daniel Brühl). Jule at first feels uneasy with Jan but while Peter is on holiday the two develop a close friendship and Jule begins to open up about her feelings of frustration against the capitalist system that they live in. As Jule learns of the secret hobbies and shared frustration of the two men, so to do we as Jan explains the secret lives he and Peter live at night.

The film really kicks into gear as we follow the lives of the infamous Edukators and watch on the edge of our seat as we see the results of their actions. At the mid point in the film, we see a complete change in the speed of the drama. An unplanned kidnapping occurs and the film switches into a completely different gear. The film really comes into its own as we escape from the harsh city life and into the luscious country as the three activists come to terms with the gravity of their situation. As our protagonists find themselves away from the mundane, we are left with a really involving situation where the characters and ourselves as viewers are able to analyse their chains and shackles from a completely different perspective. The abductee Hardenberg has a hugely interesting backstory which really adds depth to the overall experience of the film. Once himself a fighter against oppressed freedom, there is a fantastic scene late in the film where he explains how his dreams of ideals warped  into wish for money and possession, leaving the three activists simply stunned.

‘The Edukators’ offers a fresh and youthful perspective on capitalism and democracy with the sort of energy shared by todays oppressed young activists. Weingartner has managed to make a powerful film with a message, meaningful and memorable enough to also tie together the social relationships needed to really put these arguments into a real life perspective.