edwardlovette This movie is fantastic. It has a great moral message about materialism and also about loyalty. I just love this movie and I can't think of a better movie I have ever seen except for a mere handful. This movie is not a waste of your time. You might disagree with the characters actions but you will love their altruism. A really great movie.

Tweekums As this film opens we see a family returning to their large and obviously expensive house; something is wrong though; all their possessions have been rearranged; nothing has been stolen though and a note has been left which states 'the days of plenty are over'; clearly whoever broke wanted to make a statement. We soon learn that the people who did it were two young radicals named Jan and Peter. Peter's girlfriend Jule knows nothing about these events until she tells Jan how she is almost €100,000 in debt because she crashed into a businessman's Mercedes while uninsured; Jan then tells her what he and Peter get up to. They are not far from where the businessman lives so Jule suggests they go and look at his house; when there is nobody home she suggests he should be the next victim and they do it there and then; rearranging items and even throwing a couch in the pool... Jule thinks it was great fun... until she realises she dropped her phone there! The two of them return but while they are searching Herr Hardenberg, the businessman, returns. Not knowing what to do they call Peter and the three of them kidnap Hardenberg and head to a remote alpine cottage. Here they discuss what they should do with Hardenberg; they also learn that he wasn't always a wealthy capitalist; once he was a radical just like them... but does that mean they can trust him when he says he won't report them to the police?When I started watching this film I wasn't sure what to expect; I knew it involved a kidnapping but had no idea how it would end; shortly after they got to their scenic hideaway I had a very good idea how it would all end... but it didn't! While the politics does seem rather heavy handed at times, we are clearly meant to sympathise with the trio, it doesn't spoil the film and much of the politics of the trio can be put down to their youthful naïveté. As well as looking at the morality of capitalism there is some sexual politics too as Hardenberg talks of his days of free love in the sixties but when he lets on that he knows Jule is involved with Jan it becomes clear that Peter is not happy with what he learns. While I don't speak German I thought the actors did a fine job keeping their characters believable in an extreme situation.

lhommeinsipide Director Hans Weingartner has stated that this film came about partly to reflect on his own struggle to find a political identity as a young adult in Germany. This confusion is evident from the beginning, as all three of the young adults seem to have different motives for becoming 'Edukators'. In one scene early on, Jan finds a watch that Peter has stolen and throws it out the window of the van, to which Peter responds "you just threw away 5,000 euros", implying that he intended to capitalise on his 'find'. Jule also seems to have a rather selfish approach to being an 'Edukator', as she purely wants to cancel a debt so that maybe she could start a lucrative career herself. Both of the guys are willing to ignore the nature of her motives and help her (they even compare her situation to the debt of Third World nations) for their own selfish desires (i.e. her).My problem with the film was that the ending was too facile. The set-up of the characters is somewhat idealistic, so the end message "some people never change" carries little of the gravitas it ought to (as does the clumsy, unauthorised cut of Jeff Buckley's 'Hallelujah' – was it *really* necessary?).

Jan Bruhl This film is excellent - just as good as Goodbye Lenin. I love the fact that Jule is facing a real dilemma and that Jan shows her a way to release that tension. I love the fact that the chemistry between the actors is good and you can believe that this is something real. I love the fact that Peter and Jan brake into the "rich" people's houses but not to steal just to move their furniture is a great idea. Makes people realize that no matter how much money you have or the hight of security that you may have gotten you can always be brought back to reality by others. I enjoyed this film so much that it made me start to learn German again. This is defiantly a must see film. Great way to show a different way of life compared to "society's" way of life.