The Experiment (2010 film)
| The Experiment | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Paul T. Scheuring |
| Produced by | Paul T. Scheurings Marty Adelstein Jeanette Buerling Bill Johnson Maggie Monteith Scott Nemes Dawn Parouse |
| Screenplay by | Paul T. Scheurings |
| Based on |
Das Experiment by Oliver Hirschbiegel Mario Giordano Christoph Darnstädt Don Bohlinger |
| Starring |
Adrien Brody Forest Whitaker Cam Gigandet Clifton Collins, Jr. Fisher Stevens Maggie Grace |
| Music by | Graeme Revell |
| Cinematography | Amy Vincent |
| Edited by | Peter S. Elliot |
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Production
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| Distributed by | Stage 6 Film |
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Release date
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Running time
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96 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $21.8 million |
The Experiment is a 2010 American drama thriller film directed by Paul T. Scheuring and starring Adrien Brody, Forest Whitaker, Cam Gigandet, Clifton Collins, Jr., and Maggie Grace, about an experiment which resembles Philip Zimbardo's Stanford prison experiment in 1971.
The film is a remake of the 2001 German film Das Experiment, which was directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel.
Volunteers arrive for a psychological study led by Dr. Archaleta (Stevens) in which participants will be divided into groups acting as prison guards and inmates. Among them is Travis (Brody), a proud anti-war protestor, and Michael Barris (Whitaker), a 42-year-old man who still lives with his domineering mother. After interviews measuring responses to various scenes of violence are conducted, a chosen 26 are driven to an isolated building set up as a prison and split into 6 guards and 20 prisoners. Travis is assigned to be a prisoner, Barris as a guard. Basic rules are outlined: prisoners must eat, and fully consume, 3 meals a day; there will be 30 minutes of rec daily; prisoners must remain within designated areas. The guards in turn must ensure prisoners obey the rules, and deal with transgressions commensurately within 30-minutes. Archaleta stresses that the experiment will end immediately at the first sign of violence or quitting. If they manage to follow the rules for two weeks, each man will be paid $14,000.
Travis shares his cell with Benjy, a graphic novelist, and Nix, a member of the Aryan Brotherhood. Barris, concerned that some of the guards, particularly Chase, may be capable of violence, tries to dissuade them from aggressive behavior. Instead, the guards grow more forceful in order to make prisoners follow the rules. Barris becomes more and more sadistic. Despite increasing abuse from the guards, Travis remains defiant. Realizing Travis is influencing prisoner dissent, Barris decides to humiliate him, as physical retribution is forbidden. Under Barris' lead Travis is abducted, head shaved, and urinated upon. The red light does not come on, and Barris takes this as a sign that his actions were "commensurate." He reassures the guards they're behaving appropriately. When fellow guard Bosch dissents, Barris pressures him by reminding that quitting early will forfeit payment.
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