The Wave

Who wants to be a Nazi 2.0?

The most chilling film of this week (possibly even the year) avoids shocks, cliches, loud noises and gore to rock the audience.

Instead, The Wave takes a true story, relocates it to chilling effect and delivers an all-too-believable cautionary tale about… well, human nature, scarily enough.

The Wave is based on a 1960s social studies experiment by teacher Ron Jones. He took a class of Californian students and, in the space of a week, turned them from being free-thinking teenagers to a discipline-craving, organised army promoting 'strength through unity' and 'strength through action'.

In Gansel’s impressive film, the action is brought into the modern day and, as the original title suggests, transferred to Germany. Charismatic teacher Rainer Wegner (Jurgen Vogel) wanted to teach the anarchy class during social studies week but another much more dull teacher has already secured that one. So, instead, he takes the ‘autocracy’ class.

The students are initially unimpressed: why, asks, one, do we have to go through fascism again? We know it happened. We know it was a disgraceful episode in German history. Let’s just get over it. After all, they reason, we’ve learned the lessons and that could never happen again.

However, after suggesting a few basic rules — correct posture, stand up if you want to speak in class, a need to work together — Wegner finds his class responding to the discipline. With his students so energised, and feeling that together they can make a change, other students are desperate to transfer from other classes.

Wegner thus suggests that the kids pick a way they can all be instantly recognised: they select a simple white shirt and begin to recruit. The movement needs a name: they select The Wave. Eventually a student decides they also need a secret sign (in the manner of the Tufty Club or Team America) so they can spot one of their own: and thus a salute is invented…— and teenagers in particular — may claim to be rebels but, deep down, most just want to belong and, in a world where families are breaking down, being part of this powerful collective is their first taste.

And all of this happens in a thoroughly convincing manner. You only have to watch a few minutes of Supernanny to know that people respond to discipline. People

The problems come, of course, when the students who aren’t interested (or who can see the bigger picture) resist signing up because it’s only a few short steps from ‘strength through unity’ to ‘you’re either with us or against us.’

The key strength to this disturbing film is the simplicity of the tale. While Wegner’s motives are basically honourable — albeit with slightly melodramatic, tragic consequences — Gansel’s film shows just how easy it could be.

Evil, they say, happens when good people do nothing. It also happens when good people don’t realise they’re doing nothing. See it as an analogy for knife crime and gang culture, or see it as a warning about charismatic leaders, the important thing is you see it. And if you can drag a 15-year old along as well, society may well thank you in due course.

4.5/5

Thanks to Screenjabber.com for this review

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