The Wave

Professor Wegner (Vogel) has been roped into teaching autocracy as part of project week at his school. His students are a mix of goths, bullies and cool kids, most of whom couldn’t give a hoot about how dictatorships are formed. But when Wegner devises an experiment in which the class simulates an autocratic society, things take a turn for the deeply disturbing and unsettling as his pupils become an organised mob that turns on outsiders. Director Gansel cranks up the tension in this German drama, never holding back from showing just how fragile democracy can be. Most shocking of all, however, is that the film is based on a true story which took place not in Germany but in California in 1967. Brutal, bleak and brilliant, here’s one that will play on your mind long after the credits roll. [Kevin McHugh]