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      The Outside

      R 2009 1h 30m Drama List
      67% 18 Reviews Tomatometer 80% 10,000+ Ratings Audience Score A man (Michael Graziadei) finds unexpected success when friends convince him to surf professionally. Read More Read Less
      The Outside

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      Critics Consensus

      Based on a true story, though relocated to Germany, this thought provoking film has an interesting premise, but suffers through a lack of believability.

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      Audience Reviews

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      Audience Member Provocative movie about how quickly most of us can become part of a cult or fascist group. Didn't like first 10 minutes of film, but then engaged us. Good movie for kids 10+ and adults - and for good group discussion. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Audience Member good german film as starter and has an idea Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/10/23 Full Review Audience Member Wow. Que concepto mas interesante e innovador la verdad... Si bien me hubiera gustado saber que le pasaba en la cabeza al profesor Wenger, es una película bastante disfrutable. La recomiendo muchísimo. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Audience Member Como ocorre a criação e o desenvolvimento de um regime ditatorial e fascista? Esse excelente filme mostra uma das possíveis formas e o resultado, obviamente, é catastrófico. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member Your school provides a week-long project seminar class dedicated to different government types. You choose the class labeled autocracy, which is the system of government in which absolute power is given to one person. During the week, a cult-like group forms between classmates, laws are broken, and the week ends in the pain, agony, and death. This is essentially what audience members watching Die Welle (translated to The Wave), an amazing German sociopolitical thriller, experience. Directed by Dennis Gansel and produced by Christian Becker, Die Welle captivates audiences by posing an insightful answer to the question, "Can an autocratic regime be established in Germany?" The world has suffered relentlessly throughout history under power driven dictators. Trying to wrap your head around how a fascist society would spring up in modern day Germany appalls many. Since World War II, the Germanic society has included many classes and lessons to try and keep autocratic ideals away. Die Welle challenges this by introducing fascist systems in a classroom setting - a social experiment to prove the doubting students wrong. This intrigues the audience by introducing the new concept they may not have thought about, which stimulates curiosity and bounds the viewer's eyes to the screen. It's further expanded upon when the cult-like organization that builds between the classmates begins to stray from their original ideals. They become elitists, which drives the audience to see the changes that can occur to people when they feel like they have power. In the movie, some characters establish hardcore beliefs for the system they are creating, which alludes to the Nazi party. This added spark of controversy keeps the viewer engaged and wondering what the class is going to end up doing. In order to show the differences between the populations that protested against the Nazi regime and the Third Reich enthusiast, Gansel appoints a character to represent each. Tim Stoltefuss throws his previous life away. He becomes so enthralled into The Wave project that he rids his life of anything that doesn't pertain to what he learns or gains during that week. This includes the burning of his clothes and buying a gun. This makes the audience wonder just how far he will go for the purpose of The Wave. In contrast, we see Karo, who is heavily against anything that had to do with the class. She tries whatever can do, including writing messages on forums, throwing fliers out at a sporting event, and even confronting the oblivious teacher who had no idea the negative impact he was having on his students. These extreme differences in views creates sides for the viewers to pick. They start rooting for one side and keeps the attention of them as the week escalates into the formidable ending. In creating a remarkable Dennis Gansel brings our attention in by exposing us to questions and answers we had yet to ponder. By creating scenario that involves tough subjects, Gansel keeps his hold on our curiosity by testing our own morality to choose sides and experience the movie in a personal manner. Die Welle is an excellent example of how to introduce political topics we try to stray away from - by exploiting our curiosity and morality. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Audience Member Muy interesante, trata ideas centrales de un régimen facista y autoritario de una manera clara. Nos pone a reflexionar de lo fácil que es ser engañados por a demagogia. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/21/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Further Reading: Making Waves as Die Welle Arrives

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      Critics Reviews

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      Kalvin Henely Slant Magazine The Wave is top-heavy and light-footed, racing its winning idea-that fascism can still be attractive to some, even in modern Germany-past itself. Rated: 1.5/4 Jun 3, 2011 Full Review Jeannette Catsoulis New York Times "The Wave" feels overdetermined and ploddingly dramatized. Rated: 2.5/5 May 26, 2011 Full Review Derek Malcolm London Evening Standard It's a strong film but in the end a rather obvious one. Rated: 3/5 Sep 19, 2008 Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews The inclusion of an engrossing (yet expected) finale ensures that The Wave ends on an exceedingly positive note... Rated: 3/4 Dec 9, 2011 Full Review Leslie Stonebraker New York Press The Wave forces a confrontation with the seductive potential in all of us to abuse and be abused by the exercise of singular power in the name of good. May 27, 2011 Full Review Andrew L. Urban Urban Cinefile Brilliantly written and directed, wonderfully performed by an ensemble cast, and haunting in its intensity Mar 14, 2009 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis A man (Michael Graziadei) finds unexpected success when friends convince him to surf professionally.
      Director
      Ari Davis
      Screenwriter
      Ari Davis
      Rating
      R (Sexual Content|Brief Violence|Language|Drug Use)
      Genre
      Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Streaming)
      May 22, 2017
      Runtime
      1h 30m