Michael Almereyda’s Experimenter hones its focus on famed social psychologist Stanley Milgram (Peter Sarsgaard), and the behavior experiments that he tested on humans in order to test their willingness to obey authority.
We meet him at a Yale University psych lab where Milgram conducts the “obedience experiment,” in which one person (the learner) is taught to memorize answers. In another room there is “the teacher,” who gives electric shocks if the learner answer incorrectly. Only the learner isn’t really getting shocked, but since he is placed in a room out of sight, Milgram is seeing how these normal humans react when they are told to keep pressing a button that is hurting someone. In his experiment Milgram showed that normal everyday average Joe’s like you and me could resort to doing the unthinkable when handed a position of authority.
We are used to the standard historic biopic which is far too often, safe, predictable, and by the numbers, if not friendly Oscar bait. Almereyda’s take on Stanley Milgram is anything but conventional. It breaks down expected conventions of the biopic and installs cinematic elements such as fourth wall breaks that spice things up a bit and acting as a more compelling and gripping storytelling device.
The film is built around the leading performance of Milgram, and as always, Peter Sarsgaard is plenty up to the task. With many fourth wall breaks a strong assured performance is needed, and Sarsgaard delivers what is one of the best performances of his career to date. There’s also strong work from Winona Ryder as Milgram’s wife Sasha, and Jim Gaffigan as a key assistant in the obedience experiments. There’s also plenty of wonderful short cameos from the likes of John Leguizamo and Anton Yelchin as participants in the experiment.
The devices and direction Almereyda takes Experimenter through aren’t for everyone. and they don’t always work, but there’s no denying that the uniqueness of it all. It’s an experiment in itself, but it’s one that offers up a more engaging and rewarding experience that is brought to even further heights by the stunning performance from Sarsgaard who really has never been better.
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