Three young radicals face off against an older man who left behind his ideals years ago in this drama from Austria. Jan (Daniel Brühl) and Peter (Stipe Erceg) are a pair of leftist political activists who have their own ideas of how to strike out in the name of economic justice. Jan and Peter like to break into the homes of the rich, re-arrange their belongings, and leave behind a note crediting "the Edukators" with the invasion, satisfied that their efforts will teach their victims a lesson about the futility of wealth. Peter's girlfriend, Jule (Julia Jentsch), who has found herself homeless and deeply in debt after she ran into a Mercedes Benz in a car accident, moves in with the two friends and starts joining them on their periodic missions. Jule convinces Peter and Jan that they should hit the home of Hardenberg (Burghart Klaussner), the businessman whose Mercedes caused her so much trouble. They agree, but when Jule makes the mistake of leaving behind her cell phone, they're forced to return, only to discover Hardenberg at home and waiting for them. Not certain what to do, Jan, Peter, and Jule abduct Hardenberg and take him to a cabin in the woods while they plan their next move. However, their attempts to enlighten Hardenberg fall on deaf ears; they discover that the businessman was a leftist activist himself in his college days and, several decades on, looks upon his radical past as the folly of youth. Die Fetten Jahre Sind Vorbei (aka The Edukators) was screened at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review by All Movie Guide
All Movie Guide
liked it.
Somewhere between punk anarchy and 1960s radicalism lies the revolutionary spirit at the heart of The Edukators, a well-crafted and thought-provoking German language film from director Hans Weingartner. But the philosophy of the titular group -- unsettle the rich by invading their privacy, not their bank accounts -- isn't really this film's focus. Rather, it's a window into the souls of the three central characters, as well as a fourth, who becomes an unwitting visitor in their world. Before we've fully learned what the Edukators are, we learn what they aren't: As Jan (Daniel Brühl) scolds Peter (Stipe Erceg) for swiping an expensive wristwatch from the last home they "rearranged," we discover their mission statement doesn't involve financial gain. Why they
are doing it, however, becomes a subject the film debates -- and whether they're having any impact, a subject the film agonizes over. The litmus test for their theories is a mansion-owning businessman named Hardenburg (Burghart Klaussner), who may just represent them in 30 years -- born from their activist roots, then aged into conservatism. But perhaps more profound than this overt disconnect between the message they're sending, and their targets' actual ability to apply the message to their lives, is the realization that romantic love may actually be more important to the Edukators than their principles. The trio is torn about apart by a love triangle, and for all their bluster about changing the world, they aren't immune to the small-scale frailties of their hearts. Considering that The Edukators is also an effective and unobtrusively touching boy-meets-girl story, it's a real testament to its versatility as a film. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide