Review of Experimenter (2015) by Leon B — 19 Mar 2016

Review:

I really found this movie interesting and somewhat, intriguing. I didn't really see the point of the experiment when it first started but once Stanley Milgram (Peter Sarsgaard) started to explain exactly what he was trying to achieve, it did light a light bulb in my head. Its one of those films were there isn't an conclusion or a reason why people do what they do, which made the concept very debatable. Basically, in 1961, Stanley Milgram created a test were a person would ask another person various questions, and if they got them wrong, they would get an electric shock. The electric shock would increase every time the question was answered wrong, so the real test is; do you give them the electric shock if you know that you are causing the individual pain. If you ask anyone, they would say that wouldn't have given the electric shock but the statistics are quite shocking. I personally think that a lot of the people giving the shocks, felt that they had to go ahead with the treatment because they were getting paid but that just my personal opinion. The fact the the person in the other room was actually an actor and he wasn't receiving any shocks at all, makes the treatment very interesting and extremely deceptive. All the way through his life, Stanley Milgram was questioned about his tactics and outrageous results from the test, so he had to prove, numerous times, what he was trying to achieve. With that aside, the performances were great from Sarsgaard and his wife, Alexandra 'Sasha' Milgram, whose was played by Winona Ryder. I liked the way that Stanley was talking to the camera to explain certain matters and it's the first film were I have seen the director using the real black and white background to show how the real environment was. Anyway, I was thoroughly entertained throughout the movie but I personally think that the experiments should have taken place throughout the movie because the different people's reactions were what made the concept so great. Enjoyable!

Round-Up:

Although the cast seems quite big, most of the actors are only in a couple of the scenes during the test. It was  good to see the personal side of Stanley Milgram but you don't really get to know, what exactly is going on in his head. He seemed to glide through life in a world of his own but the director did show how important his wife and kids were in his life. Anyway, this movie was directed by Michael Almereyda, who brought you the awful Cymbeline (Anarchy: Ride or Die), Nadja, another version of Hamlet and Happy Here & Now. He hasn't got a great track record in the directing chair, which is why this movie didn't make any noise in Hollywood but it's still an interesting topic which was worth bringing to light. .

I recommend this movie to people who are into their biography/history/dramas starring John Palladino, Peter Sarsgaard. Winona Ryder. Anthony Edwards, Jim Gaffigan, John Leguizamo, Anton Yelchin and Harley Ware. 6/10.