The Edukators

Jan and Peter break into rich houses in Berlin at night. They steal nothing; they rearrange the furniture, drop the sofa in the pool and leave a note in the fridge. The point is not theft but making the owner feel that his security is not what he assumed. When Peter's girlfriend Jule joins in and a night goes wrong, the three of them end up having to kidnap the owner, Hardenberg. The real subject is not the break-ins but the man they take. Hardenberg once founded a commune and marched in the streets, then changed his life. The long stretch in the mountain cabin puts a plausible version of their own future in front of the three of them. The form is small and tense: handheld camera, natural light, long conversation scenes. The film leaves the political slogans in its characters' mouths and does not endorse them. The German title, Die fetten Jahre sind vorbei, means the fat years are over, which is the note the kids leave behind. The film competed for the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 2004 and introduced Hans Weingartner internationally. Daniel Brühl, Julia Jentsch and Stipe Erceg play the trio, with Burghart Klaußner as Hardenberg. Who it is for: viewers who like political youth films and long dialogues where ideas collide. Who it is not for: anyone expecting the tension of a heist; after the first half hour the film deliberately retreats into a single room.