Tarek Fahd (Moritz Bleibtreu) drives a taxi for a living and while waiting for a customer he stumbles across an ad for a research prison study.  Fascinated by the ad he applies for a part in the study, as the audience finds out that he also is a highly educated man who used to work as a journalist.  Through Tarek's old connections he gets a freelance job to provide inside information for a new paper while secretively filming the events in the simulated prison.  The study begins harmlessly, as the assigned guards are awkward in their role as prison guards while the prisoner's initially are entertained by the simulated situation.  Nonetheless, after a mere 24-hours the guards begin to exercise their powers and as the hours pass they become more comfortable in their role as guards and begin to enforce the law with callous authority.

During the time in the simulated prison Tarek, or prisoner #77, which is his new name, and the other inmates slowly begin to confuse the border between reality and make-believe.  In order for #77 to keep his sanity he often thinks and dreams of Dora (Maren Eggert), a young woman he met through a car accident just before being imprisoned in the illusion of a jail.  The thought of Dora seems to provide #77 a sense of connection with reality, and hope, much like his friend and inmate #82 (Oliver Stokowski) who dreams of a yellow Ferrari.  Yet, the hope and dream of being on the outside for something better quickly gets murkier, as the humiliation increases and the derogatory treatment of the inmates intensifies.  This continues while the scientists discuss the possibility of aborting the experiment, as it is deemed dangerous, but the experiment continues--something many will regret in the aftermath of the experiment.

Experiment will induce strong uncomfortable feelings in the audience.  Some will feel a level of disgust to the behavior and this could manifest itself in a feeling as if the intestines were tying themselves in a knot.  There are moments when the audience will want to turn their heads away, yet they cannot as what takes place in front of them is so distastefully hypnotizing as curiosity of what will happen next draws the audience to continue to watch.  This is cleverly created by Oliver Hirschbiegel who generates a similar curiosity that the scientists must be experiencing.  This notion also triggers a certain level of guilt within the audience for participating in the viewing of the film, as it makes the audience a silent participate in a manner similar to one of the prison guards.  

The cast performs exceptionally, as the audience will begin to feel revulsion and maybe even hatred toward some of the guards.  However, can one blame the guards in the film, as the experiment encourages this absolute repulsive behavior when the guards begin to live their roles as guards?  Ultimately, the audience will feel disgust for what took place, yet the film leaves the audience in a contemplative mind-set of similar actions taking place where those who protect the law are not overseen.  For example, in prisons around the world, and the recent prison scandal in Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and elsewhere where similar incidents might not have been reported.  Another question that the film raises is whether convicts that experiences similar treatment will be rehabilitated to reenter the society after their release.

Director Oliver Hirschbiegel who recently made Downfall (2004) about Hitler's last day in the Berlin bunker brings this truly repulsive, yet important film to the audience.  The camera work, lighting, mise-en-scene, and script provide additional strength to the story, as the cast's performance ties it together in front of the camera with several strong performances.  Together these cinematic elements help create an experience that should be contemplated, as they provide an abhorrent event at a safe distance where the audience can learn the valuable lesson that the film provides.  Long after the screen has turned black and time has past since the viewing of Experiment, the audience will remember this film, which makes this film even more powerful.  

DIRECTED BY

COUNTRY

Germany

Filmography links and data courtesy of