The Edukators

(Herald rating: * * * *)

Some foreign critics have faulted this delightful German film for the banality of its analysis of globalisation and the many oppressions visited by capitalism on the Third World. But in doing so, they seem to have missed the fact that this is - and is not - the point.

The three activists of its title are the kind of naive, doctrinaire know-it-alls who will remind baby-boomer parents of their hectoring nouveau-radical kids. Director Weingartner, an 80s radical, is smart enough to know that.

But the film is essentially anti-political: it's a fast-paced cross between a romantic comedy and a thriller which is, if anything, a primer on the dangers of falling in love with your best mate's girlfriend.

Notwithstanding the brilliant finale, it looks askance at anyone silly enough to think that the system hasn't already won.

Bruhl, the hot young star of Goodbye, Lenin, plays Jan who, with his mate Peter (Erceg), practises an inventive form of political protest.

They break into the houses of the rich but they steal nothing; instead they rearrange the furniture and ornaments and leave notes saying "The days of plenty are over" (the film's original title) or "You have too much money".

Peter's girlfriend Jule (Jentsch) is more conventional, protesting at sneaker stores about Asian sweatshops. But when she and Jan are walking through a lakefront neighbourhood, they pass the house of a rich businessman to whom she is paying off a debt.

She persuades Jan to get her inside and, before long, a late-night prank has turned into a botched and very problematic kidnapping.

The less said the better about what happens next, but it is fair to mention that the man they abduct (Klaussner), a 60s radical turned corporate fat cat, is not stupid, and it is fascinating to watch this odd quartet deal with the complications of conflicting political and romantic aspirations.

Weingartner seems to keep the action one step ahead of the actors so that they - and we - feel constantly off balance, and the terrific performances from the youngsters are offset by an avuncular, unflappable turn from Klaussner who, we suspect, knows a good deal more, on many levels, than he's letting on.

The double (or was that triple?) twist at the end will send you into the street with a smile on your face but the chances are that before you get home, you will pause and realise the film put one over on you, too.



CAST: Daniel Bruhl, Julia Jentsch, Stipe Erceg, Burghart Klaussner
DIRECTOR: Hans Weingartner
RUNNING TIME: 126 minutes
RATING: M, sex, offensive language and drug use
SCREENING: Rialto