Die Welle (The Wave): A Study in Autocracy

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(Available to stream on Netflix as of 3/25/14)

         It's the first day of Rainer Wenger's class on Autocracy, and things aren't going too well.  Though they want a decent grade, his teenage students are adamant that this class is completely useless.  This sort of thing could never happen in today's German democracy.  It's impossible.  They as a society have already learned their lesson.

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Wenger begs to differ.  In order to show his students the reality of how easily dictatorships are formed, the teacher decides to try something different.  Over a series of subtle changes over the course of a week, Wenger sets out to create his own autocracy, "The Wave," right there in the classroom.  And the results might even surprise him.  Based on a true story, the gritty German film Die Welle chronicles how easily dictatorships can come to thrive, and spin out of the control of their however well-meaning creators.

       I love foreign/ independent films.  There's frequently a certain realism, or at least a more gritty stylistic slant in movies made outside of the Hollywood machine.  When it comes to films made in other countries, it's also interesting to see their perspective of their world, instead of conjecture from those not a part of it.  Even though the real-life experiment on which this film is based formed in a Californian classroom in 1967, this film was set and made in modern Germany.  As we see the students discussing Hitler's rise to power from a 21st century German point of view, we really get an eerie sense of just how poignant this issue still is.  We see the scars that the Third Reich has left on their culture; but even those scars aren't enough to prevent another dictatorship from blossoming over the course of a mere business week.  The German backdrop goes to show beautifully that it's not for lack of memory that a culture will fall into the same pitfalls, but for lack of true understanding of the ingredients that make a dictatorship flourish.

     It takes very little for The Wave to flourish.  Through subtle changes in the classroom setting, Wenger pulls the students together into a confident, tightly knit group.  First, he insists they address him formally as Mr. Wenger.  Then, to "benefit each other's grades," he places the students with high grades next to low-grading students and encourages them to cheat whenever they need (in doing this, he also breaks up cliques in the group.)  In addition, they're commanded to get stand up and out of their chairs before asking a question, in order to "benefit their brain power with a jolt of fresh blood."  Sounds harsh, but during all of this, Wenger also engages each of the students individually by involving them in the creation of the group's design, be it the name, website, or logo.  Through each of his tactics (even marching drills and uniforms,) Wenger manages to take the authoritarian role of  "Fuehrer" in the group, gently stroking the students' group mentality, while simultaneously convincing them that they each have security and value in this "club."

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     Die Welle isn't just about the group as a whole, but does a great job of illustrating through the individual students how each of their personalities and backgrounds interact with The Wave.  Some, like Karo, have been raised with an independent mind, and hands-off, but caring parents.  She's used to being top dog.  It's because of her power complex and selfish pride that she is eventually rejected by the group, and becomes one of the strongest voices against The Wave.  Her boyfriend, Marco, on the other hand, has been raised by a practically non-present mother, and may or may not hold a little contempt towards Karo's lack of appreciation for her parents, and her nagging to blindly follow along to Barcelona after graduation.  He also recognizes that much of Karo's concern about The Wave stems from a personal beef with both the teacher, and the student body. As The Wave's influence begins to cross over into other parts of their academia, Marco sees a great deal of potential for what The Wave can accomplish.  It provides a sense of teamwork, camaraderie, and order that the school has never experienced before.  Marco isn't the only one who feels that way.

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          Tim is also a lost soul in search for something better.  Like Marco, he grew up alone, without family.  He's an outcast, and the wild rumors about him don't help matters either.  Before The Wave, he tried desperately to be a part of society, even going so far as distributing free drugs to gain friendship.  The rest of the students are more than happy to use him to get their fixes, but it's not until The Wave that he and the other students feel a sense of true belonging.  People are treated uniformly, and dedication to The Wave is the only trait required for acceptance.  Tim has never had anything else to live for, so when he finally finds meaning in The Wave, he devotes himself completely to it.

          As The Wave grows, it not only takes hold on the entire school, but also possesses the entire community, and even its founder.  Wenger struggles daily with his motives, and just how far he's willing to take the experiment.  His wife warns him that he's been receiving a lot of flack from the rest of the teachers; but the students are increasingly enthusiastic about the project, and Wenger is glowingly proud of his ability to get these zombie-like teenagers excited about anything, even if it is a dictatorship.  But Wenger's wife isn't just concerned about his public reputation; she's seen a change in him at home too.  Deep down, perhaps even Wenger is getting too wrapped up in his own experiment, secretly enjoying his growing power over the students.  We're made to wonder if and when he's finally going to draw the line.

       Die Welle's story line follows the classic spiral of beginning with the best intentions, and ending with the worst results.  It's mortifying to see how each personality contributes to that downward spiral, and horrifying to realize that even modern cultures might have the capacity for this behavior.  But there's a flip side to every coin.  It's near impossible to deny that autocracy offers a number of perks; through The Wave the students gorge on new found uniformity, acceptance, and equality, while finding new work ethic and cooperation in everything they do.

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     Like the students in Die Welle, we all crave group society.  Even the most introverted of us inherently find security in being a part of a collective, be it fandoms, clubs, websites, political parties, tribes, you name it.  Complete faith in and devotion to the figurehead of these groups leads to a bond and harmony among its members that can be very constructive.  Autocracies work to a certain extent; but they're also very delicate systems.  An autocracy is only as strong as it's leader; and every single one of them is bound to slip up sometime.

     The teens in Die Welle started out lost, lethargic, and in want of something more; and in the end they're left with more questions than answers.  Why does The Wave give them so much hope?  Why doesn't it work?  What can they replace it with?  Can that kind of teamwork and unity even be replaced?  They're left without answers, but the viewer can piece it together.  The Wave gave these students a purpose and a place they belonged.  It fell apart because its leader was fallible.   It can be replaced, but not by fallible systems run by fallible men or women.  If this situation is any example, I propose that if an autocracy is going to work, its fuehrer has to be completely competent in the task of ruling, completely conscious of what the members want/need, and completely constant and devoted to ruling in the interest of its members.

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     The human brain dictates the body in these three areas beautifully.  It governs competently nearly every bodily function from digestion to muscle movement with incredible precision and speed, such that all the systems work together in harmony.  It maintains consciousness and awareness of everything going on in the body by sending and receiving signals throughout our complicated nervous system.  Finally, it also constantly watches over the members of the body for their safety and well being, warning the hand where to move when it's about to be burnt by a flame, or telling the arm to shiver when it's too cold.  The human body is run by a competent, conscious, and constant fuehrer that mankind can't even begin to try to match, whether in modern societies or advanced computer systems.  Of course, the brain has hiccups sometimes, too; it's only human.  However, beginning in the first century there emerged a body with an absolutely competent, conscious, and constant head:

     For as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body — so also is Christ.  For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body — whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free — and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.  (1 Corinthians 12:12-13)

The church is the one perfect dictatorship from which we can receive the society we hunger for.  All members are different, but all members work (or have the capability to work) for the whole's benefit using their individual talents.  There's fellowship, there's communion, there's a common goal, a common role model, and a common rule book.  Like in The Wave, we are called to love unconditionally, and encourage each other's strength in the faith, growing in Jesus Christ.  Like the nerves, we send messages to Him and receive instruction, correction, and comfort from His word.  We all still make mistakes, but we're also held accountable to Jesus, The perfect Head.

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     He's the creator.  From the smallest quarks to the largest galaxies, all things were "created by Him and for Him," even giving the genetic adaptability animals would need to survive in harsh conditions.  Power, genius and foresight - completely capable.  He's infallibly omniscient.  He knows and sees all, whether physical, spiritual, or mental, visible or invisible - completely conscious.  He's relentlessly merciful.  Though He sees all, He still loves His creation despite our faults and failings we try to hide.  What dictator would descend into the lower member's dimension, live 33 years there, and finally die to cover our evil deeds, that we might be one with our creator?  But He did.  That's completely selfish love - completely constant.

     Like the students in Die Welle, we long for the security and constructive society that an autocracy can provide. We thrive for short periods of time under the rule of a dictator, but human fallibility inevitably leads to evil beyond belief.  That's sinful nature at work.  But the good news (literally, the Gospel) is that everything we long for and seek in a human dictator is found in the first and ultimate dictator, Jesus Christ.  We shouldn't seek security in dictators that will always fail us; but as Psalm 118:9 says, it is far "better to take refuge in The Lord than to trust in nobles. He has promised he will never fail us.

He is before all things,

and by Him all things hold together.

He is also the head of the body, the church;

He is the beginning,

the firstborn from the dead,

so that He might come to have

first place in everything.

(Colossians 1:17-18)