The Experiment

2001 · 2h00 · Film

Directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel

Starring Moritz Bleibtreu, Christian Berkel, Justus von Dohnányi, Maren Eggert, Edgar Selge, Andrea Sawatzki, Oliver Stokowski, Wotan Wilke Möhring, Nicki von Tempelhoff, Timo Dierkes

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20 volunteers agree to take part in a seemingly well-paid experiment advertised by the university. It is supposed to be about aggressive behavior in an artificial prison situation. A journalist senses a story behind the ad and smuggles himself in among the test subjects. They are randomly divided into prisoners and guards. What seems like a game at the beginning soon turns into bloody seriousness.

Original title

Das Experiment

Original language

German

Screenplay

Mario Giordano, Don Bohlinger, Christoph Darnstädt

Music

Alexander Bubenheim

Cinematography

Rainer Klausmann

Cast

Maren Eggert, Edgar Selge, Andrea Sawatzki, Oliver Stokowski, Wotan Wilke Möhring, Nicki von Tempelhoff, Timo Dierkes, Antoine Monot Jr., Lars Gärtner

Updated July 22, 2026

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