The Stanford Prison Experiment (Review)

The Stanford Prison Experiment (Film Review) 2015

Directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez
Starring Ezra Miller and Billy Crudup

The Stanford Prison Experiement is an independent drama which follows the notorious 1971 psychological experiment carried out by Dr. Philip Zambardo. 15 applicants are randomly assigned the roles of prisoners or guards to participate in a simulated jail setting over the period of two weeks. The experiment, and the film, act as an exploration of the transformation of human nature under negative circumstances.

The film's introduction is a beautifully filmed process of printing the advertisements for the experiment, completely devoid of any human features, already highlighting the deindividuation faced by both the ''prisoners'' and the ''guards'' involved in the experiment.

The cast mainly consists of young men, already established in the acting world. Ezra Miller (We Need To Talk About Kevin, The Perks of Being a Wallflower) stands out as a very strong actor, along with Tye Sheridan (Mud, X-Men) and Johnny Simmons (The Perks of Being a Wallflower). The acting adds a level of needed realism, to drive home the fact that this experiment did actually occur, and that this is definitely human nature.

The film did have a minor downfall with pacing. Some scenes, although many of these were intentional, were very repetitive, and not very interesting to watch. While other scenes, such as the sequence involving ''parole'' should have been prolonged. I personally did not feel 100% interested throughout.

The Stanford Prison Experiment is an intriguing psychological study with stellar acting, but not a consistently engaging film. Although I doubt all viewers will feel the same way, I consider it a negative trait. The film is enjoyable, but disturbing, and I recommend it to those interested in psychology and human behaviour.

7.5/10.

Rated 15a, runtime 122 minutes.