Die Welle (1:47)

I watched die Welle. I was incredibly intrigued by it when some other students brought it up in class. I though the movie was very well done and it also hits a lot of very serious topics in German culture. The movie begins with a classroom discussing thoughts on autocracies, the professor attempts to bring interest amongst his students by posting this question: Can Germany have another dictatorship. Most students think that this is impossible, based on German’s history with dictators. The teacher proposes that the class does an experiment; to start an autocracy in the classroom. The movement starts out small and those involved seem to enjoy being apart of a social group. After awhile things start getting heated, the members of the “wave” start standing up for their beliefs and some become too emotionally involved. When the teach realizes the project has gone too far he stands in front of the entire class and makes an example out of one of the students straying away from the “wave” movement. The teacher makes the students look like fools; they realize that they have gone too far and hatred of those not apart of the group is taking control. Just when the view thinks that there is a complete understanding, one of the students makes a stand. He talks about how important the “Wave” is to his life and there is nothing else for him. He pulls out a gun (originally thought to just shoot blanks) and kills a student. The teacher attempts to talk him down but the student uses the gun on himself. The scene ends with a look of remorse on the teacher’s face while he is cuffed and pushed into a cop car.

I thought that this movie was very interested. I feel that this is a sensitive topic to discuss, especially for the older generations. The students started out following something that they believed in that was based on good and being equal. But because they has a bond that those who are not inside of the “Wave” they had power. They used this power and violence became a common theme within their daily lives. Ultimately, something positive turned negative very quickly. I wonder how German’s feel about this film across generations. If they see it as appalling, something they can relate to, or if they can just take it for what it is.