The Experiment
(2001)
★ 7.4 IMDb · 1,261 votes
Year: 2001
Runtime: 120 мин
Country: Germany
Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel
Cast: Мориц Бляйбтрой, Кристиан Беркель, Justus von Dohnányi, Maren Eggert, Edgar Selge, Андреа Завацки, Oliver Stokowski, Вотан Вильке Мёринг, Nicki von Tempelhoff, Timo Dierkes
Plot
20 volunteers agree to take part in a seemingly well-paid experiment advertised by the university. It is supposed to be about aggressive behavior in an artificial prison situation. A journalist senses a story behind the ad and smuggles himself in among the test subjects. They are randomly divided into prisoners and guards. What seems like a game at the beginning soon turns into bloody seriousness.
The movie is based on the infamous "Stanford Prison Experiment" conducted in 1971. A makeshift prison is set up in a research lab, complete with cells, bars and surveillance cameras. For two weeks 20 male participants are hired to play prisoners and guards. The 'prisoners' are locked up and have to follow seemingly mild rules, and the 'guards' are told simply to retain order without using physical violence. Everybody is free to quit at any time, thereby forfeiting payment. In the beginning the mood between both groups is insecure and rather emphatic. But soon quarrels arise and the wardens employ ever more drastic sanctions to confirm their authority.