THE EXPERIMENT Explained: Blinded by Luciferian Hubris

…loses his perfection when placed in an extreme situation, becoming small and cornered, or, if the circumstances allow, transforms into a ruthless predator mercilessly using his advantage. And this is precisely what The Experiment by Oliver Hirschbiegel is about

The director, basing his film on a real sociological experiment, looks into the soul of the average person and ruthlessly brings to light what he finds there, and there is truly nothing to be proud of. Hatred, selfishness, an almost animalistic perception of the world on one hand, and helplessness, fear, and humiliation on the other. The experiment, by placing its participants in such different roles, exposed and stripped bare those features of our nature that are closer to animals, from which we claim to be superior. In the simulated prison, people from the streets – ordinary individuals – meet, not knowing, however, that they will find themselves on opposite sides of the barricade as prisoners and guards.

Tarek Fahd (Moritz Bleibtreu) – a taxi driver with a humanities background – takes on the role of a provocateur in order to acquire the most sensational material for the newspaper he hopes to return to. He becomes the catalyst – an organic trigger that drives the crucible of human characters to a boil and then to an explosion. Berus (Justus von Dohnanyi) – seemingly well-mannered, introverted, at first glance the embodiment of the average German – stands out from the group of guards as an informal leader. Professor Thon (Edgar Selge), supervising the entire project, at some point realizes that his experiment may bring surprising, perhaps even revolutionary results.

All of this is due to the emerging rivalry, soon after the start of the study, between the self-proclaimed leader of the prisoners, Tarek, and Berus, who has been selected through natural selection. At this point, the costs cease to matter, and only the final result counts. Professor Thon falls victim to his own arrogance, the illusion that the situation can be fully controlled. However, just after 48 hours, we know that the repressed impulses, unleashed by the artificially created situation, will turn Berus into a different man – a contemporary incarnation of a Nazi tormentor, a man whose frustration and unmet desires will lead to an explosion so powerful that it will be impossible to control. The experiment will become an opportunity for him not only to grow in his own eyes but, most importantly, to inspire awe and fear in others – both prisoners and guards.

The study spirals out of control, but the professor, blinded by the expected effect, is determined to take on the role of a demiurge – but a flawed demiurge – the creator of an artificial world inhabited by thrill-seekers and money-hungry failures. His creation not only escapes control but leads to a distortion and, eventually, the complete ruin of the assumptions of its creator. The question arises about the boundaries of human interference in matters that do not belong to him – the creation of worlds that become a shadow of reality, its dark side, its negative, and finally a mockery. The question posed nearly 200 years ago by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley in Frankenstein remains strikingly relevant. There is no place for artificial creations in our reality, for they create disturbance, a vortex that, like the monster of the Swiss doctor, must lead to destruction.

So is The Experiment a reflection on the God complex? It is, but it is more a drama of power. A flawed human, placed in a situation imposed on him, succumbs to illusion: the illusion of impunity, the illusion of his own abilities and power, the illusion of control over his own fate and, worse yet, over the fate of others. This illusion, combined with the natural tendency of our species to indulge its instincts, selfishness, and tendency toward self-degradation, must result in an explosive mixture. Berus – the leader of the guards – succumbs to this illusion, becoming an animal – a demon in human skin – the embodiment of the worst perceptions of human potential.

Our demiurge also succumbs to this illusion. Tarek, on the other hand, initially treating the whole undertaking as a prelude to a good time and a way to return to normal life, triggers an avalanche that nothing will be able to stop. Unlike Berus, he presents a set of traits commonly attributed to the cause of various misfortunes – he is reckless, thoughtlessly and carelessly plays with forces whose power he does not know; in fact, he is not even aware of their existence. By the time he begins to reflect, it is already too late – the beast is unleashed.

The question that naturally arises here is whether the reversed situation would bring about the same – tragic – effect. The eternal problem of the executioner and the victim returns, the boundary that divides them – is it real or just an illusion, conditioned by the circumstances in which they found themselves? After all, someone wise once said that evil is also good, but placed in the wrong place and time. Playing with human instincts is like challenging mother nature – it catches up with you before you understand where you’re headed.

It is no coincidence that I referenced the title of the flagship work of the gothic novel genre – Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, for The Experiment begins with the same blindness in the belief in the power of human reason, the power of science. The all-powerful illusion resulting from progress and education in the culture of the microscope and the Large Hadron Collider makes us forget how fragile not only our bodies are but, more importantly, our psyche. Contemporary personal patterns created by consumer culture lead us to believe that nothing can stop the march once it has begun – always forward.

Let there be no doubt – on the path of our development, nature will not stand in the way, it can be tamed in one way or another, technical limitations will not stand in the way, which can always be bypassed sooner or later. There, under the hard wall against which our skulls will someday crash, will be ourselves – our fears, our limitations, and our… demons.