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Trailer

The Experiment

2001Movie2 h 0 min

DramaThriller
71
GoodGoodWatch score
IMDb7.7Metacritic597.1Rotten Tomatoes72%88%

A nerve-racking, brutally violent drama movie about everyday modern life and the mind.

Good for friends night · thought-provoking · adults

Skip it if you need an uplifting mood · graphic violence bothers you

Where to watch

Set your services

Not streaming in United States. Where it is:

Fingerprint

Not for warmth, laughs or comfort.

Movies with

Story

You are invited to participate

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.

Feels like

  • Psychological Thriller
  • Prison Experiment
  • Social Commentary
  • Tense & Disturbing
  • Character-Driven
  • Moral Dilemma
  • Bleak & Unflinching
  • Gritty Realism
  • High Stakes

Cast

19 of 19

Crew

Directed by
Oliver Hirschbiegel
Written by
Christoph Darnstädt, Don Bohlinger, Mario Giordano
Produced by
Friedrich Wildfeuer, Marc Conrad, Norbert Preuss
Music by
Alexander Bubenheim

Everyone

Pick a department, or search for a name or a job (“editor”, “stunt”).

Facts

March 8, 2001 · 2 h 0 min · Violence, Strong Language, Disturbing Imagery

Released
March 8, 2001
Runtime
2 h 0 min
Content
Violence, Strong Language, Disturbing Imagery
Genres
Drama, Thriller
Original language
German
Made in
Germany
Box office
$14 million
Available in
2 countries
Keywords
based on novel or book

Tropes

Artistic License – History, Stanford Prison Experiment, Pipe Pain

  • Artistic License – History
  • Stanford Prison Experiment
  • Pipe Pain

From TV Tropes.

Q&A

5 questions, like "Where can I stream The Experiment?"

Questions about The Experiment

Quick answers from GoodWatch data.

Where can I stream The Experiment?

It streams in 2 other countries, but not in the United States.

Is The Experiment worth watching?

71
GoodGoodWatch score

Mostly, it's well received, with a GoodWatch score of 71 (IMDb 7.7, Rotten Tomatoes 72%, and Metacritic 59). Audiences rate it higher (79 out of 100) than critics (66).

Will I feel good after watching The Experiment?

BleakHopeful

Probably not: the title analysis rates it 8 of 10 for bleakness and 5 for melancholy, against 2 for hopefulness.

Will The Experiment scare me?

Not scaryTerrifying

At times: scares are rated 7 of 10.

Is The Experiment in English?

German

No, it was made in German.