Film and television are an important part of my life, in many ways it has impacted it and changed the way I see things on a daily basis. One example of a film that has opened my eyes to a given issue has been Die Welle(The Wave).
In a German high school filled with different cliques and ignorance, a professor with unusual teaching methods is forced to teach autocracy(instead of anarchy) for the school's project week. Not very enthusiastic himself, he tries to prove a point to his students by developing an unorthodox experiment in which he will prove to them that dictatorship can easily happen once again. The project spirals out of control when the students slowly and without noticing themselves become a group called "The Wave". They feel powerful in union whilst the professor, blind to the fact himself, is seduced by the power that he has now achieved over this large group of teenagers.
I saw this film a couple of months ago with my sister and I wasn't expecting much of it, but boy was I surprised. With a believable example of how fascism is easily "contagious" and showing us that what Germany once went through can happen once again is something to keep in mind. We must be aware of this, for society has to watch out for what is being taught, seen and who is in charge of the rest. Powerful people can take advantage of their control, influence over the rest and easily manipulate them. This is why we need to keep our eyes peeled and alert to everything that is being fed to us by the media, school, government, etc.
This movie seems special to me because I know I''ll never forget it. Giving a bit of an insight in the history and using individual stories of characters to show different sides of society and it's problems, showed me how much people crave to feel like they belong and can easily be manipulated by groups united by a same idea. With a leader to guide them through it and give them a sense of security, trust and definite success, anything seems possible. The film feels powerful to me, it forces you to think and reflect towards the topic that is being given to you. The message is straight to the point and you can visually appreciate an example of what they mean with a relatable situation.
In a German high school filled with different cliques and ignorance, a professor with unusual teaching methods is forced to teach autocracy(instead of anarchy) for the school's project week. Not very enthusiastic himself, he tries to prove a point to his students by developing an unorthodox experiment in which he will prove to them that dictatorship can easily happen once again. The project spirals out of control when the students slowly and without noticing themselves become a group called "The Wave". They feel powerful in union whilst the professor, blind to the fact himself, is seduced by the power that he has now achieved over this large group of teenagers.
I saw this film a couple of months ago with my sister and I wasn't expecting much of it, but boy was I surprised. With a believable example of how fascism is easily "contagious" and showing us that what Germany once went through can happen once again is something to keep in mind. We must be aware of this, for society has to watch out for what is being taught, seen and who is in charge of the rest. Powerful people can take advantage of their control, influence over the rest and easily manipulate them. This is why we need to keep our eyes peeled and alert to everything that is being fed to us by the media, school, government, etc.
This movie seems special to me because I know I''ll never forget it. Giving a bit of an insight in the history and using individual stories of characters to show different sides of society and it's problems, showed me how much people crave to feel like they belong and can easily be manipulated by groups united by a same idea. With a leader to guide them through it and give them a sense of security, trust and definite success, anything seems possible. The film feels powerful to me, it forces you to think and reflect towards the topic that is being given to you. The message is straight to the point and you can visually appreciate an example of what they mean with a relatable situation.
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