The Edukators

"Every heart is a revolutionary cell."

2004 2h 7m DE

👍

7.2

SOLID

🍅

70%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

7.4

IMDB

★7.2TMDB · 397🍅70%Rotten Tomatoes●68Metacritic★7.4IMDB · 32,621

DramaComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Three activists cobble together a kidnapping plot after they encounter a businessman in his home.

“Every heart is a revolutionary cell.”

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Cast

Daniel Brühl
Jan
Julia Jentsch
Jule
Stipe Erceg
Peter
Burghart Klaußner
Justus Hardenberg
Peer Martiny
Villenbesitzer
Petra Zieser
Villenbesitzerin
Laura Schmidt
Tochter
Sebastian Butz
Sohn

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Hans Weingartner
Languages: German
Countries: Austria, Germany

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 22 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Austria, Germany.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Hans Weingartner, shot by Matthias Schellenberg. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Andreas Wodraschke. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Andreas Wodraschke shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Daniel Brühl and Julia Jentsch and Stipe Erceg carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Every heart is a revolutionary cell.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Hans Weingartner directs. Matthias Schellenberg behind the camera. Andreas Wodraschke scores. Andreas Wodraschke cuts. Produced in Austria, Germany. Dialogue in German.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 22 years ago.
2International production across 2 countries: Austria, Germany.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Hans Weingartner, shot by Matthias Schellenberg. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Andreas Wodraschke. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Andreas Wodraschke shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Daniel Brühl and Julia Jentsch and Stipe Erceg carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Every heart is a revolutionary cell.".
9IMDB entry: tt0408777 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 17 themes, including "ransom", "politics", "hostage", "revolution".
11Released under 13 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Matthias Schellenberg
Original score: Andreas Wodraschke
Editing: Andreas Wodraschke
Runtime: 127 min · 2h 7m
Status: Released
Original language: DE
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Edukators (2004)
Rotten Tomatoes: 70% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 68/100
IMDB rating: 7.4/10 · 32,621 votes
MPAA: R
US box office: $175,493

Awards

11 wins & 6 nominations total

German Film Award for Best Feature Film

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Hans Weingartner

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-06-08
★ 7/10
Though it does rather run out of steam at the end, this is quite a fun dramatisation following three radical twenty-somethings who want to teach the wealthy a lesson. "Jan" (Daniel Brühl) and "Jule" (Julia Jentsch) decide to break into the luxury home of "Herdenberg" (Burghart Klaußner) and have some fun. They rearrange his furniture, pinch his booze - even throw his expensive leather sofa into his swimming pool. They leave before he gets home, but quickly she discovers she has left her phone behind. They're not so lucky on their return visit to fetch it, and soon they find themselves with an unwilling hostage and on the run. They draft in the support of her boyfriend and fellow activist "Peter" (Stipe Erceg) and head to a remote cabin where the four, over a period of a few days, start to rethink their lives, loves and priorities. Thing is, what are they to do with their prisoner? It's an enjoyably lighthearted drama, this, with engaging performances from Brühl and from Jenstch whilst we watch Klaußner never quite sure if his character is a man, with a lively past of his own, who can be trusted. It is too long, and the second hour could do with some judicious use of the razor blade, but the writing delivers quite an understated yet potent message about what actually matters and at how politics change as we age and in many cases re-evaluate.

Production companies