REALITY CHECK: An interview with Das Experiment director Oliver Hirschbiegel and star Moritz Bleibtreu By Warren Curry 9/10/02 Part 1 of 2

If you haven't had a chance to take a peek at Ryan's review of Das Experiment, please do so before reading this interview. While I might slightly disagree with how extreme a picture he paints Oliver Hirschbiegel's new film to be (it doesn't go anywhere near the world of Salo), his rave review is definitely not an overstatement. I had the pleasure of catching this film at the 2001 AFI Film Festival and prior to the screening Hirschbiegel warned the audience to remember that, "it's just a movie and these are just actors." My naturally cynical self dismissed these cautionary words as nothing more than a promotional tactic, but 30 minutes later I was pinned to my seat completely lost in the claustrophobic world of this utterly brilliant movie.

Starring Moritz Bleibtreu (from Run Lola Run and a huge star in Germany) and based on the novel "Black Box" by Mario Giordano, Das Experiment defines the word riveting. It's an adrenalin-pumping movie that completely envelopes the senses with its mix of elements that are both disturbing and exhilarating. Every time in the past few months when I've been asked, "what good movies are coming out?" my succinct answer is "Das Experiment." If followed up by the question, "and what else?" my response doesn't change. Yes, you need to see this movie (if you're leery of subtitles, don't be alarmed; after 10 minutes I guarantee you'll forget that you're reading). It made my top ten list in 2001 (when I first conceived the list, I didn't realize the film had acquired U.S. distribution) and it will be on there again this year. Although it's a European movie, this film has a very accessible and distinct American sensibility. It was an enormous success in Germany, and it's up to every American who reads this website to try and make it one in the U.S.

Das Experiment opens in New York on September 18 and will have an exclusive one-week engagement in Los Angeles at the Nuart Theater beginning September 20, before expanding to other theaters in the city. The film will open in more cities throughout the country in the following weeks -- check your local listings daily!

I sat down with Oliver Hirschbiegel and Moritz Bleibtreu at the film's recent L.A. press day. Read our conversation, and be the first person on your block to take part in the experiment.

I first saw Das Experiment last November at the AFI Film Festival and, at the time, Oliver, you didn't sound optimistic about the film's prospects of finding distribution in the U.S. How did it wind up getting picked up?

Oliver: I wasn't pessimistic, but it had already taken such a long time. The film had been around and I was surprised that no one was willing to pick it up. As a matter of fact, at the screening you attended, the son of Samuel Goldwyn saw the film and said to his father, "You definitely have to see this film." Samuel got to see it, made an offer and that's how we got the deal. I'm very happy now; he's a very good distributor and a very good man.

Moritz, you came aboard the project before the script was even completed. What attracted you to it?

Moritz: It was one of those stories that you only get to read every ten years or so; one of those stories that is completely universal and has a subject that I think is one of the most important subjects in the world. It was talking about staying with yourself, taking the responsibilities for your life and your actions, which I think is one of the most important things in life. Plus, Oliver, of course. It was just an offer that you can't refuse. Oliver and I knew each other and we always wanted to do something together. He would always say, "One day something is going to come up." He sent me this book, told me to read it and I just read the back cover, called him back and said, "O.k., that's it. Let's do it." I knew it would've been a miracle if he did not make a good script out of this novel. It was clear to me that it was going to work out.

Oliver: Well, it turned out to be a little more difficult than expected. (laughs)

Moritz: Absolutely, like always. It was good; the fact that we got together so early was something that helped us a lot during the whole process of making this film. From the writing of the screenplay to the whole time of the shoot, it was a very close collaboration.

What was the mood like on the set? You were dealing with such intense subject matter.

Moritz: I felt the mood kind of went together with what happened on the set. For example, the riot scene where everybody was throwing shoes, that was at a point where we were all happy, making jokes and making fun of the situation. But as the story evolves and the stuff gets more and more tight, the mood on the set started to change. After week 4, it wasn't funny anymore and the laughing was gone. Sometimes I would try to make a little joke and everyone would look at me and say, "Shut up." (laughs) It was very physically and psychologically exhausting toward the end.

Oliver, how do you control a situation like that?

Oliver: I don't know, really. Basically, you must not forget that we are all professionals in that situation. Every actor had to do his homework from day to day, and they all had to know what character they were playing. I had to do my homework as well, so it's like on a ship: everyone has to do what he knows is necessary, and when you get into the storm the ship still goes on. Everyone just does his job and that's pretty comparable to a crew situation -- filming a movie. When it comes to the mood, it wasn't very necessary to control that. Even though we improvised a lot and changed scenes, we always had our guidelines with the script, so we knew where we were going.

Moritz: But that has a lot to do with the fact that you knew where you wanted to go and that's one of the reasons the atmosphere stayed so calm, I think. Just let me drop an example: if any of those actors would have had the sensation or the feeling that this guy doesn't really know where the scene is going or the day is going, then I'm sure the atmosphere wouldn't have been that focused and calm. I think the most important thing was your way of being so cool with the whole situation and, for all of us, we knew that this guy knows what he wants, so we felt safe.

Oliver: Of course, I had no idea what I wanted sometimes. I just made them believe that I did. (laughs)

Moritz: I don't think it's very easy to control yourself in front of 20 guys in this very emotional, tense atmosphere. He was like the rock in the sea.

Oliver: I find it's always hard to describe what you do as a director. It's pretty much better to ask the actors. I very often refer to the director's job as the captain on a ship. The captain knows where he's going and he tells everyone what to do, but he has to listen to everyone because he has no idea how an engine works. It's tough to describe what you do as a director, really.

Moritz, how would you compare Oliver's directing style to other directors that you've worked with?

Moritz: That is, of course, very difficult to say, because you would have to compare them as human beings. The only thing I can really say about Oliver, and what is fascinating to me, is what I was saying before. I would've lost my nerves ten times a day and this guy just stands there and smiles, and I'm like, "How can you fucking smile?" He just has a calm about him and that's something that is so good for an actor. It gives you the feeling that what you are doing is right and what everybody else is doing is right too, because if it weren't right, he wouldn't be calm. That might even be a trick of his, I don't know. Also, this calmness gives you the feeling that whatever you tell him, he'll listen to you and he takes his time to explain and to speak to you. Yet, he's not letting everybody do what they want to do. There's a certain point where he says, "No-- there's no more discussing. We're going to do this now; shut up everybody." It gives you the feeling that he really knows what he wants and that is the most important thing for a director. As long as you know that, you can let yourself fall in the hands of a director. If you have a feeling that the director doesn't know where he's moving and you have a particularly emotional scene, you have a hard time letting yourself fall. With him, everything he told me I knew was right.

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