Apt Pupil (DVD)

...made by Todd Bowden in Apt Pupil. Make no mistakes – Apt Pupil is definitely not your conventional “Whatever happened to…?” Nazi war crime movie. Apt Pupil is a sinister exercise in discovering the definition of true evil that I found particularly unsettling from start to finish.

In Apt Pupil, Brad Renfro stars as Todd Bowden, a 16 year old high school student who develops a sinister fascination with his next ...
...to be horrific and disturbing. Apt Pupil is both, but in an eerie, unsettling way that never uses action. There are no scenes of brutality from the prison camps – it is only the tales told by Mr Dussander and the experiences he retells that provide any insight into the nature of the Germans evil campaign. We see todd appear to be completely unaffected by what he is told, to the contrary, he has plenty of questions such as “How did it ... more

Imagine as a child that you lived next door to a curious-looking old man. Occasionally you would see him sweeping his porch or travelling home on the bus with his walking stick and a bag of shopping. Imagine the feeling of shock that you would feel when one day, whilst studying texts and pictures for your history project you realise that the old man bears more than a passing resemblance to a notorious Nazi war criminal. Fixated with the idea that there is more to the old man than meets the eye, you set about gathering evidence, in order to back up your suspicions. As time grows you realise conclusively that the old man you live next door to is wanted for war crimes, and was responsible for the mass extermination of thousands of Jews. Burdened with this newfound knowledge, what would you do?

Whatever your answer is to that question I doubt it will be the same as the decision made by Todd Bowden in Apt Pupil. Make no mistakes – Apt Pupil is definitely not your conventional “Whatever happened to…?” Nazi war crime movie. Apt Pupil is a sinister exercise in discovering the definition of true evil that I found particularly unsettling from start to finish.

In Apt Pupil, Brad Renfro stars as Todd Bowden, a 16 year old high school student who develops a sinister fascination with his next door neighbour, Kurt Dussander. Following the evidence that Todd has compiled against Mr Dussander he confronts the man, and advises him that he has a file of evidence ready and waiting for the Israeli government that he will not hesitate in sending unless the German follows the teenager’s instructions. He doesn’t want money – he simply wants Dussander to tell him about the Holocaust – to describe exactly what it was like. Reluctantly Dussander agrees, fearing for his liberty as he can quite easily see that the boy is serious. Over the following weeks the German retells countless stories of German atrocities, with Todd never seeming to grow tired of the tales, and never running out of questions. As time progresses, Todd becomes more and more absorbed by what Mr Dussander tells him and even instructs the German to wear a fake Nazi uniform that he has ordered over the Internet. However, neither party realises the consequences of what they have unwittingly unleashed, and things start to take an even more sinister turn……

There is no doubt whatsoever that any film involving tales of the Holocaust is likely to be horrific and disturbing. Apt Pupil is both, but in an eerie, unsettling way that never uses action. There are no scenes of brutality from the prison camps – it is only the tales told by Mr Dussander and the experiences he retells that provide any insight into the nature of the Germans evil campaign. We see todd appear to be completely unaffected by what he is told, to the contrary, he has plenty of questions such as “How did it feel?” and “What was it really like?” From the outset, you know there is going to be more to this film than meets the eye, but one is never quite sure in what way – and that is particularly unsettling.

As the film develops, we watch a distinct change in both of the characters, which is ultimately not very surprising given the events being discussed between the two men. Where Todd is concerned, we watch the effect of his relationship with Mr Dussander through his interaction with his friends and girlfriend and his schoolwork. Mr Dussander lives alone, but his behaviour changes just as much as Todd’s. I interpreted the events depicted in the film as an attempt to let the viewer decide whether the two men were changing – or just reverting to type.

Apt Pupil is definitely a thriller – the tension in the film builds, and the whole thing is highly unpredictable. The film also benefits greatly from the fact that the two lead characters are both portrayed brilliantly.

Ian McKellen is absolutely outstanding as the German war criminal Dussander. Combining senile fragility with an underlying strength of will, McKellen is disturbingly evil. Sometimes he would simply appear on screen smoking a cigarette, but his piercing gaze was more than enough to break the silence and my opinion of him as an actor has risen almost meteorically since I watched this film. Brad Renfro is also well cast in the role of Todd Bowden, with unconventional looks and a hardened boy-next-door image. At times I wasn’t quite sure who was more sinister. There is a relatively small (yet significant) part played by David Schwimmer from Friends who manages to look particularly dorkish (nothing new there then).

Apt Pupil is fundamentally a study of the nature of evil. Whereas I have previously seen films or dramas portraying Nazi war criminals that have somehow managed to escape justice, this one is very different. The criminal in Apt Pupil appears to want to forget the past, yet shows little remorse, and as the film, and Mr Dussander’s stories continue we start to gain an understanding of how the Nazis gained power. The film was directed by Brian Singer who also directed The Usual Suspects, and there are similarities between the two films. Both films have a mysterious edge, and both films focus on characters that twist and change. The film is based on a novella by Stephen King, and this is definite Stephen King material. Although the film couldn’t be classed as a horror film, it still has those King touches that make you feel unsafe – why has the neighbour’s cat been missing for a week? Only time – and the smell in Mr Dussander’s kitchen – will tell….

I have to say that I highly recommend this film – I hadn’t heard of it before and I don’t ever remember it being reviewed closely in the press. Disturbing and yet highly engaging – a definite “must-see”.
 

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