The Edukators (German: Die fetten Jahre sind vorbei, meaning The years of plenty are over) is a 2004 German-Austrian film made by the Austrian director Hans Weingartner. It stars Daniel Brühl, Julia Jentsch, Stippe Erceg and Burghart Klaubner.
The plot centers around a group of student radicals who break into rich people's houses, rearrange the furniture, and leave notes saying "You have too much money. The Edukators." Things go wrong, however, when they break into the house of a man whom one of them knows, who happens to be home and recognizes her. They end up taking him hostage, and the events spiral down from there.
Includes examples of ...
- Former Teen Rebel: Hardenburg is revealed to have been part of a left-wing hippie community.
- Heel–Face Turn: Happens twice in the movie with the same character: Hardenburg.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: Peter and Jan.
- Love Triangle: Between Peter, Jan, and Jule. The situation has an unconventional resolution. By the end of the movie it is implied that the three of them are in a polygamous relationship with each other.
- Prisoner's Dilemma: When Jan and Jule are caught breaking and entering by Hardenberg in his house, it would be better for all of them if Hardenberg could credibly promise not to tell anyone about it and they chose not to kidnap him.
- Redemption Rejection: Hardenburg.
- Xtreme Kool Letterz: The international title is "The Edukators".
