IMDb > Die Welle (2008)
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Die Welle (2008) More at IMDbPro »

Videos (see all 9)
Die Welle (2008) -- Movieplayer.it - Italian Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
7.5/10   9,059 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 6% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Dennis Gansel (writer)
Todd Strasser (novel)
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Wave on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
13 March 2008 (Germany) more
Genre:
Plot:
A high school teacher's unusual experiment to demonstrate to his students what life is like under a dictatorship spins horribly out of control when he forms a social unit with a life of its own. | full synopsis
Awards:
3 wins & 6 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(12 articles)
German Trailer for 'We Are the Night'
 (From Bloody-Disgusting.com. 28 November 2009, 11:29 AM, PST)

Teaser Trailer for We Are the Night
 (From shocktillyoudrop. 28 November 2009)

User Comments:
A Clever, Ironic Account of Fascist Autocracy more (40 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Jürgen Vogel ... Rainer Wenger
Frederick Lau ... Tim Stoltefuss
Max Riemelt ... Marco

Jennifer Ulrich ... Karo
Christiane Paul ... Anke Wenger
Jacob Matschenz ... Dennis
Cristina do Rego ... Lisa
Elyas M'Barek ... Sinan
Maximilian Vollmar ... Bomber
Max Mauff ... Kevin (as Maximilian Mauff)
Ferdinand Schmidt-Modrow ... Ferdi
Tim Oliver Schultz ... Jens
Amelie Kiefer ... Mona
Fabian Preger ... Kaschi
Odine Johne ... Maja
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
The Wave (USA)
more
Runtime:
107 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Ron Jones, the initiator of the original experiment, attended the film's world premiere at Sundance Film Festival. more
Goofs:
Incorrectly regarded as goofs: (At 57:15) The teacher is formally called Rainer Wenger, although informally he uses his first name is Rainer, among his students initially and later his surname during the project, Wenger. One might think the principal would use his first name when talking to him, but in Germany when adult colleagues speak to each other, they use their last name when talking to each other, i.e. Herr Wenger. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Vorstadtkrokodile (2009) more
Soundtrack:
Tick Tick Boom more

FAQ

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58 out of 69 people found the following comment useful.
A Clever, Ironic Account of Fascist Autocracy, 25 February 2008
8/10
Author: sesmallz from United States

Die Welle (The Wave) is truly a brilliant tale that lures viewers into its cleverly developed plot just as Herr Wenger lures his unsuspecting students into a sense of fascism. When Wenger, an affable schoolteacher who seems to be rebellious towards traditional instruction, gets selected to teach a class on autocracy, he is upset. However, he soon devises a plan with which to teach the students a valuable lesson on the sheer dangers of fascism and the ease with which one can be lured into it.

His class starts out simple and nonthreatening. The students choose Wenger as their leader and are instructed to wear a uniform and create a name for themselves (the students choose Die Welle "The Wave"). But, this club slowly turns into a sort of fascist regime. The unsuspecting students think they are participating in some sort of fun club, but they are really being shown how easily impressionable people can be attracted by autocracy.

The biting irony of this film is that at the beginning of the autocracy class, Wenger touched on the subject of Hitler's reign, and the students almost instinctively spit out answers about how Germany would never fall into that trap again knowing what they know now. But, the children soon eat their words when they become members of a much less disturbing, yet frighteningly similar clique.

There is a glimmer of this fact when two students who aren't members of "The Wave" pick on a student who is. Two other members come to the rescue of the victim. Though many may view this as a positive aspect of this sort of togetherness, the point is that fascism has developed and can easily become corrupt.

I highly recommend this to any potential viewer who either holds the same views as the students at the beginning of the film or simply wants to be entertained by the ironic theme of the film (so long as you don't mind the subtitles).

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Die Welle (2008)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
This version's wrong message (spoilers!) imdb-5096
Question abuot Wenger's T-shirts vargpojke
Disturbed me... geordiebianconeri
Do you think it really does work? shescheating
Final shots of the film (SPOILERS ALERT!) Londoner1
Jay and Silent Bob???? SueBridehead
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