To Err (repeatedly) is Human

Newly out of work Travis (Adrien Brody) finds himself volunteering for a paid experiment, with the promise of $ 1000/ day of compensation, for a period of 14 days. The study – to play the role of one of the prisoners as part of an experiment, wherein other volunteers, notably Barris (Forest Whittaker) act as the guards. In an experiment where the only restrictions on prisoners include never speaking to guards unless spoken to, and finishing all of their food, simple transgressions take an ugly turn as the prisoners led by Travis grapple with one diabetic in their midst, the uncertain food, et al, while the guards led by Barris take increasingly violent and regressive steps to address what they see as a growing challenge to their authority. In an experiment that would ostensibly terminate on the first hint of violence, much blood is shed before the same comes to an abrupt halt, and the movie trails off with a call to justice. With overtones of America’s reality of Guantanomo Bay, and movies such as Blindness, The Experiment shows just how degenerate a regular group of humans can become in a setting that has the slightest hint of an imbalance of power. A good movie that makes for some really heavy viewing

13.5/20