The Edukators (2004) R - 3 Stars

So many great movies out there for those who can handle subtitles. Low budget film with great results. Great performances by the three young actors. German with subtitles, a great foreign film with a rebel message. The movie is a bit drawn out but it allows you to deeply connect with the characters. Two German youths are in a radical group known as the Edukators with their message directed towards the rich for turning their heads away from poverty below them.

Jan (Daniel Brühl), and Peter (Stipe Erceg), invest all of their evenings spreading their radical message for their activist group, "The Edukators." After studying their targets, they break into homes of the rich who are away on vacation. Once inside, they rearrange the entire home leaving fear in their richly protected homes. They also leave their calling card, "Your days of Plenty are Numbered."

Jule (Julia Jentsch), is Peter's girlfriend, and she's had to move in with Peter and Jan after loosing her apartment. In a car accident with no insurance, she totaled a Mercedes and now is paying the $100,000 Euros to replace it. As Peter must go away for a while, Julie stays behind as Peter gets Jan to help her vacate her apartment. Jan forms a close bond with Julie as they realise their beliefs are the same. Jan confides what Peter and him have been doing. As Julie thinks more about her incident with the rich, she encourages Jan to take her to the mans home with the Mercedes. As it would go, no one is home and Julie convinces Jan to break into his home. They bond even closer while they destroy the precise order of the Hardenberg's (Burghart Klaussner), home. In the process they make love in this house, fleeing wearing only towels and robes. Peter returns home making the two uncomfortable about what they've just done. When Julie discovers her cell phone missing, her and Jan must go back to get it. As they find the phone, Hardenberg returns home and recognizes Julie from the accident. Not knowing what to do next, they awaken Peter who joins them. Peter decides they should take Hardenberg hostage buying them time to think. They take him far away in the hills to an isolated cabin of Julie's uncle. As days go by, Peter is agitated with the truth about his best friend and girl. He now gets to decides what their next move should be regarding their fate.

Y3 Film Production, Coop99, IFC Films
Director: Hans Weingartner
Writers: Katharina Held, Hans Weingartner
Producers: Antonin Svoboda, Hans Weingartner

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