1961. Social psychologist Stanley Milgram (well played with compelling restraint by Peter Sarsgaard) conducts a controversial series of radical behavioral experiments that test the average person's natural capacity to be completely obedient to authority.

Writer/director Michael Almereyda offers a highly complex, intelligent, and oftentimes provocative exploration of how a majority of people are rigidly conditioned to staunchly adhere to and simply obey authority as well as provides an equally fascinating examination of the questionable ethical ramifications of the way Milgram did his experiments. Moreover, Almereyda employs a bold experimental approach that includes frequent breaking of the fourth wall by Milgram (he talks right to viewers about the meaningful findings of his experiments and their insights into human nature),a couple instances of a literal elephant in a room, and blatant use of fake backgrounds as a means of commenting on both the contrived and staged nature of Milgram's experiments and the intrinsic artificiality of the cinematic medium. Winona Ryder lends sturdy support as Milgram's perky wife Alexandra, Jim Gaffigan contributes an amusing turn as jovial test subject James McDonough, and there are nice cameos by such familiar folks as Anthony Edwards, Taryn Manning, Anton Yelchin, and John Leguizamo as participants in the experiment. Recommended viewing for adventurous viewers looking for something different and challenging.

2015 was a very unusual year because two different movies debuted that were about famous (or perhaps infamous) studies that are discussed in practically every introductory psychology textbook published over the last three decades. After all, it's not like there is a huge demand for this sort of thing and the market for such films is pretty limited. While I was not particularly impressed by "The Stanford Prison Experiment", "Experimenter" is simply terrific and I was shocked by the wonderful writing and direction by Michael Almereyda. In fact, it's so good and the style is so amazing that I think most everyone could enjoy and appreciate the film...if they end up seeing it, which isn't very likely.

I have a greater interest in this sort of film than most people because I taught psychology and used to be a psychotherapist. When I taught, I frequently talked about the ethics or ethical lapses of the Zimbardo Prison Study as well as the Milgram Obedience Study. But, as I said above, the way Almereyda wrote and designed the film make it a film for anyone...not just geeky ex-psychology teachers!

"Experimenter" begins with a graphic depiction of Milgram's classic study. I was very surprised at the choice of actors, as Anthony Edwards (E.R.) and the stand-up comedian Jim Gaffigan played subjects in this experiment...and they both were excellent. In Milgram's experiment of the early 60s, there were two subjects--one a real subject and another who pretended to be one but who was actually working for the experimenter. The study was supposedly about learning methods and one subject was chosen to be the 'educator' and the other the 'subject'--but this was rigged and the real subject was always the educator. The educator's job was to read questions over a loud speaker to the subject in the next room. If the subject missed a question, the educator was instructed to administer an electric shock--and the intensity of the shocks increased throughout the experiment. The subject followed a script in which he eventually begins to complain about the pain of the shocks and even say that he wants to stop....yet the psychologist there in the room with the educator encourages them to continue. Amazingly, despite educators thinking they were causing significant pain, about 65% of them went all the way...even shocking the subject AFTER they stopped responding altogether!!

The experiment's true purpose was to demonstrate that the same sort of blind obedience to authority that the Nazis showed in the death camps and their willingness to follow rules still exists in societies today. Many praised his insightful and brilliant study, but many also criticized its methodology and thought the study was very unethical. This was also true in the Stanford Prison Experiment--yet, oddly, that film never really addressed concerns about ethics--which is why I found that film so disappointing. Fortunately, Experimenter did present both sides of the debate as well looked at Dr. Milgram as a person--something I never expected. To do this, they obtained the cooperation of the Milgram family t learn about the man. In fact, you can see the Professor's widow and brother interviewed on the special features on the DVD and they seemed very happy with the film. This is interesting because Stanley Milgram is very flawed in the movie. He's sometimes arrogant and smug and Almereyda did something very smart to help accentuate this. He had the actor playing Milgram, Peter Sarsgaard, occasionally turn to the camera and talk to the audience. This could have been awkward but really worked well in conveying Milgram's personality as well as giving a much fuller story about the man and his life beyond his seminal study. You learn about some other brilliant work he did at Yale, Harvard and the City University of New York...as well as the continued criticism he received during his career and its impact on him. Overall, this is a magnificently written and directed film with some wonderful acting that really needs to be seen by a wider audience. The film barely got noticed in the theaters but now that the film is out on DVD with Netflix this week, there's a chance for you to see a wonderfully crafted and engaging picture. Trust me on this one...you don't need to be a psyc major to enjoy this film!

It's 1961 Yale University. Stanley Milgram (Peter Sarsgaard) is conducting a social experiment with assistants James McDonough (Jim Gaffigan) and Alan Elms. Test subjects are told to deliver electric shocks to a stranger played by McDonough. The shocks are actually fake and most participants obey. Stanley meets and marries Sasha (Winona Ryder). He continues to teach and work on other experiments like lost letters, and six degrees of separation. His publication of Obedience to Authority leads to criticism of his findings and the ethics of the experiment itself.

This is a solid biopic. The experiments are intriguing and even compelling at times. For some, the Obedience experiment may be eye-opening. Personally, I didn't realize the origins of the six degrees of separation. The movie feels informative but lacks real tension or danger. Sarsgaard's performance is mannered and expertly done. Jim Gaffigan adds a little bit of needed humor. I wouldn't mind fictionalizing a nemesis for Milgram even if it's only in his head. Filmmaker Michael Almereyda literally puts an elephant in the room and references Adolf Eichmann. He could have easily used a Nazi as Milgram's imagined enemy. Almereyda does plenty of visual experimentation to liven up the movie but sometimes, the scenes are better off with a straight forward telling. The elephant in the room is too cartoonish and on the nose. The rear-projection driving is unnecessary. The black and white photo background doesn't work if the scene is supposed to be real. At times, Almereyda seems to be going out of his way to be inventive.