Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Derry Herrera Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Mathilde the Guild Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) "Der junge Törless" is a German, black-and-white film from 1966, so this one has its 50th anniversary this year. The writer (i.e. the one who adapted the base material) and director here is Volker Schlöndorff, still in his 20s at this point and it was the big breakthrough for him as this movie here won Best Picture at the German Film Awards. Schlöndorff managed to build a prolific and successful (Oscar winner "Tin Drum") career in the film industry on his success here. For lead actor Mathieu Carrière, it was also the big breakthrough, but while he also has been in films for the last 50 years he didn't make it big really, so that this film here is still his most known role I guess.The film is about life at a boys-only school. We see how one student steals something from another, but instead of reporting him the boys decide to make him their slave, threaten to report him if he doesn't do exactly what the tell him to and there is certainly considerable sexual tone in here too. Carrière, however, plays a student who is more like a quiet observer. he does not really take part in the bullying like the others do, but he also will not help the boy that so desperately needs somebody to stand up for him. He knew very well that this would make him the next target. Then again, his passiveness does so too to some extent, even if it is all not in the open.I had a couple problem with the action in this film. For example, near the end at the gym, it was hard for me to believe that everybody else would suddenly join in and they would act like a mob shouting to kill Basini and if we are honest, not a whole lot was missing. Or that the teachers of the school really turn Basini into the scapegoat for everything that happened. Yes he did steal some money, not much though, but that goes beyond all logical behavior. Then again, maybe Musil, the author of the novel is more to blame for this, unless it makes more sense in the book and Schlöndorff's adaptation was just flawed. The ending of the film makes clear that the title character is also the main character as the film basically ends when he decides to leave school. Who knows what equally gruesome events will happen there in the future. Maybe we are lucky not to find out. All in all, I personally felt the movie was just intended to be as controversial and shocking as possible without telling us a genuinely realistic and interesting story. That's why I believe it is not among the best Germany has to offer in terms of 1960s' movies. I do not recommend the watch and the Academy got it right in not nominating this one.

Jonny_Numb By today's standards, a film like "Young Torless" may seem too coy and archly philosophical (and thus pretentious) a take on the corruption of youth, and the sources from which the corruption stems. Its strength, however, lies in the telling: when a student at a preparatory academy robs a peer to pay off a debt, he finds himself enslaved, both psychologically and sexually, by a gang of rogues looking to push him to the breaking point. In the midst of this is Torless (Matthieu Carriere), a student coming to terms with his identity in the midst of this moral dilemma, and whose mental landscape renders him a frustrated, conflicted character who runs the gamut from cold detachment to vague sympathy. While certain aspects of the film (the homosexual subplot, for instance) seem deliberately repressed due to the era, the implication is enough to give the events an additional potency. The black-and-white cinematography is excellent, capturing a specific atmosphere of dread and meditative solitude--German director Volker Schlondorff is not looking to titillate with sensationalist content, but instead spin a story of a young adult's struggle with the evils of an imperfect world. And on that level, "Young Torless" is one of the best films of its kind.

MartinHafer The idea of writing a story about a boarding school where bullies humiliate and torture weaker classmates is interesting and well worth making into a film, so I was interested in seeing this German film. However, the main character, Törless, was so confusing and inconsistent that it really damaged the overall impact. During much of the film, this lad seemed to be almost sleepwalking through the film. Many times, he just stared or watched but said or did almost nothing. Then, other times, he unexpectedly participated in some of the humiliation of his classmate. And, at another time, he was totally disconnected and observed the beatings and humiliations like a cold and clinical character reminiscent of a character from a Camus novel. Then, towards the end he announced that the torment was wrong and he tried to get the young man who was being physically, emotionally and sexually abused to come forward. As a result of this exceptionally poorly written character, so much of the impact of the film is missing. This is definitely a case of "what might have been". Oh, and speaking of 'sexually abused', this whole VERY IMPORTANT part of the story is poorly handled--being vaguely alluded to and then minimized. I would think a person being raped and sodomized might be a bit deal, but in this film it didn't seem that way at all.

dbdumonteil Young Toerless is some kind of whizz kid,ahead of his time.Played by the phenomenal Matthieu Carrière -who was only 16 at the time;I 'm looking for another actor ,able to play such an intellectual part,at such an early age!-He worries about imaginary(complex) numbers.For him,a square is positive,so the existence of such numbers (the square root of -1 can be i or -i)eludes him.He admits they are useful in geometry(rotations,similitaries)or trigonometry or even to build bridges,but he 's got to admit it without understanding the mathematical concept(You'll find out when you know ten times more in maths,the teacher says)During the movie,he will discover that a lot of things in life have to be admitted without a proof.The film takes place in an old secondary school,in Austria,at the beginning of the 20th century,while Francis Joseph-whose photographs are pinned everywhere- was still the regnant emperor .This is the end of an era ,1914 is not far away. An iron discipline,students in uniform,the necessary and sufficient condition for the emergence of oppressors and their punching bag.Two students choose one of their mates as a victim (to make up for their frustrated sexuality,because of a latent homosexuality?Ascene in which they're looking at erotic photographs is telling)And not the first to come!Someone different.Only difference can lead to inferiority. The poor lad stole some stuff,and now his mates can threaten him to reveal the whole thing to the teachers if...So begin more and more sadistic scenes,culminating with the one at the gymnasium(A symbol : a punch bag is generally a sport outcast) where almost everyone inflicts moral and physical tortures on him.The former is the most humiliating:one of the cowards reads a letter from the unfortunate boy's mother,a widow sometimes unable to make ends meet-all the others are very rich kids-,making a fool of her.And Toerless?He's primarily a spectator.Not exactly a peeping tom,but someone who uses the whole school,and its particularities,as an experiment behind closed doors.Evil exists as imaginary numbers do,we have to cope with it,even if we cannot understand its source.He will not intervene to help his neighbor,worse,he will shun the sound and the fury,which may infuriate many people who watch this movie.Actually,for Toerless, and for the teachers-who do not seem to be that much angry when they discover the horrible things that happen behind their walls,they are worthy forerunners of Nazis who thought the feeble ,the sick and the "different" one had to be eliminated-,the punch bag story is almost an abstract fact,which they intellectualize to a fault.Matthieu Carrière has never made the career he deserved."Die jungeToerless" is not exactly an entertaining movie,but if you are looking for something different,this might be your cup of tea.