The Edukators 2004 - Die fetten Jahre sind vorbei
(The Fat Year are Over) movie short review
I'm in Sofia for a couple of days being a guest to a friend
(thx
Nomen), after my stay for a week in Bodesće (a little village
nearby Bled located in Slovenia).
Yesterday on my way to sleep I wanted to see a movie and asked
Nomen to recommend me a movie. His recommendation was a
German-Australian movie from 2004 called
The Edukators -
The Fat years are Over. I had absolutely no idea what it
will be like so I didn't expected much but it seems the movie plot
took my attention.
The movie plot revolves around 3 avarage German persons who live in
Berlin. The three youngsters has just passed the 20s, Peter and
Daniel (two close friends who hold some serious anti-capitalist
views and does organize house break-ups without stealing.) Peter
and Daniel's rich villas break-ups aim is idealistic, they don't
steal but just change the order of furniture and leave messages to
make rich people aware that money doesn't make them
invincible...
Jule a girlfriend of Peter, becomes friend with Daniel and they
fall in love, while Peter is away for a vacation. During Peters
sojourn abroad Daniel tells Jule the secret (Peter and Daniel) are
the
Edukators whose break-ins has just recently become known
via the local Berlin newspapers.
The Edukators group leave messages to every of the "victim"
homes saying - "die fetten Jahre sind vorbei" - "The fat years are
over", a sentence well known from the Holy Bible's story of Joseph
in Egypt.
Jule works as a waitress in a luxurious restaurant but her
payment is only good to cover her very basic needs as well as pay
her debt (as she is already indebted as many youngsters in
Germany).
Jule is more indebted compared to many of the young germans, since
by accident she hit a rich businessman's car which costs 100 000
eur. Since more than a year she is working for paying the monthly
bills to cover richman's car and she succeeded to pay only €55000
...
The Jule's "injustice" is just a part of the many injustices that
are in society, but as the youngsters hold anarchistic and anti
democratic views, this whole Mercedes crash accelerates as Jule and
Daniel break up in the Luxurious Villa of the rich man whose car
Jule is still paying.
Just like the other break ups Jule and Daniel change completely the
order of the furniture and leave the threatening message
die
fetten Jahre sind vorbei , this time however they do even more
as they decide to drop the sofa in the pool. These time Daniel and
Jule's planning is more like an venture than just a well planned
Edukators break-in. Suddenly the watchdogs in the yard start
barking and the two youngesters has to move quickly to prevent
being taken by the police patrol.
On the next day Peter is back from his vacation and Jule realizes
her mobile phone is missing (probably fallen in the pool or
somewhere in the richman's mansion)... On the next night Jule and
Daniel, enter the house again in hope to find and cover-up the
tracks they left last night and hopefully find, Jule's missing
mobile.
They don't know however the richman would arrive his villa to stay
for the night. As he enter his house, the businessman encounters
Jule and immediately recognizes her.
Daniel being in the other floor comes down and hits the richman
from behind and he enters unconscioness. As the two are panicked
they call Peter and tell him about "the villa accident". Daniel
arrives immediately and the three "revolutionaries" decide to take
the wealthy man who as a hostage bringing him in Jule's uncle
mountain hut.
The 3 anti-current system democrats and the representative of the
wealthy class has to spend few weeks together in a small house each
one exposing his stand point and philosophy. Little by little the 4
people become friends and a dramma between Daniel and Peter emerges
as Jule is now in love with Daniel and Peter finds out ...
Hardenberg (the 3 youngesters hostage) happens to be an ex-leader
of a
Socialist German Student Union some 35 years go ... and
tells a story how he and his union members hostiged a VIP german
person in their youth days and how funny is that he is in the same
situation like the person they hostiged so long time ago...
The movie is interesting as it really shows the sad reality and the
falling democratic system which we have established and follow. It
exposes the injustice of the system but it doesn't really offer a
solution to the society and economic problems and injustices.