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.
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.