The Edukators

Hans Weingartner's ambitious but ultimately lackluster drama about the conflict between extremist politics and selfish human nature revolves around a pair of politically radical young friends, Peter (Stipe Erceg) and Jan (Daniel Bruhl), who spend their days seething about Third World sweatshops and their nights vandalizing the interiors of expensive homes. Peter and Jan would happily carry on their revolution, except that Peter takes a holiday while Jan falls for his partner's waitress girlfriend, Jule (Julia Jentsch), who is burdened by a lifetime debt to a wealthy businessman named Hardenberg (Burghart Klaussner). Eventually, Peter, Jan, and Jule decide to hold Hardenberg hostage in a rustic mountain retreat, and the film observes the trio grappling with their situation while the wily, 50-year-old prisoner gradually evolves from victim to confidante, reminiscing about his own idealistic, dropout youth. Unfortunately, Weingartner's story grows curiously feckless once the film's action shifts to the hideaway, where instead of taking advantage of the opportunities for psychological and political exploration, the director adopts a less-is-more approach. Optional. (T. Keogh)