SPOILER ALERT!! The wave/Die Welle spoilers!
The movie The Wave is an incredibly thrilling and captivating movie. It does an incredible job of building up the plot to a painful yet amazing ending climax. The only thing that separates it from a movie that we would regularly see in theaters- this movie is in German. Us grade 10’s were challenged with English subtitles, but we didn’t let that drag us down! (Well… maybe at first). Die Welle is a film I genuinely enjoyed, and one that left me thinking as well.
What’s freaky about this movie is the fact that it isn’t completely impossible. This movie is a more extreme version of a real life event that occurred in California. The students were not forced to join an ever increasing school group, they were individually motivated to do so. This mass motivation encouraged these students to take their passion and spirit to negative places. Not all students were in on this group. A student named Karo stayed true to her morals, even when torment from her peers seemed unbearable. She was talked rudely about behind her back, she was shunned to the point where she was a minority, and was even physically hurt by her boyfriend. In my personal opinion, Karo did the right thing. She took a step back when she realized thing were going to bad places. This is a skill that many people lack, and it was demonstrated in this film. This skill that Karo has came from her home life. In the film, her mother said “I didn’t raise you that way” (in regard to joining an exclusive group), indicating that she has a good support system at home. This is not the case for other members of the wave. Characters like Tim, and Marco are not as lucky. The wave gave them something to be a part of, to make up for what they don’t have at home. The character Tim took The Wave to heart, claiming it was all he had. His devotion to the group ended his life tragically, in a suicide.
I genuinely enjoyed this film and the easy to follow plot line. I would recommend this movie to an older audience, that has a strong stomach!