This movie is what it claims to be! It does not claim to be realistic, it claims to be a funny revenge story on somewhat, what really needs to be revenged. This movie is not education, it's only a very small part and a wet revenge dream against the other part on the scale pan, we see everyday: The awful TV program, which became our religion. And on the other side, where it should be in balance, but is not - it's like that: Total Trash. Incredibly stupid game shows, which try to force people to call and to give money for nothing, like for example: "Yes now you can win even more, tell me when do you have birthday!... 21. of August?! Oh i am so sorry, you would have won if it were the 31. of June." Or somewhat - the next superstar model casting shows. - Like it's so good to get money for doing nothing. TV became our religion, so that we reconstruct our world from, what we see and believe to be real a few people tell us so (not very normal people, who have much free time to do so). And the problem is, that we partly have to believe that it is real, so i just don't get the critique of some people "Weingartner used trash to bury trash"... The problem is - our world is slowly becoming trashier everyday. So what. Hit it with it. It's just a nice and funny movie, which unfolds to show a bit how it could be and that supposed clarification is never total. This movie has the claim, what i would call, to have a nicotine patch effect on the media world. It's not as good as a cigarette (which is trash) but it tries to help against the pain. And i think this effect is the reason for bad comments. Not for me - Because of the message - i like it and give it a ten plus.

(This review was written after I saw the film at the Toronto film Festival in September '07)For anyone struggling to find an artistic direction, a new voice, or inspiration, this is a must. Blisteringly angry, intelligent, subversive, and furiously cynical about contemporary society, this is film-making as it should be.Wingartner's target is the dumbing-down of popular culture, primarily via the medium of lowest common denominator television. It tells the story of Reiner, a TV executive specialising in Reality TV - his latest project involves a sperm race between three contestants to win the opportunity to impregnate a woman - who experiences a Damascene conversion following an encounter with a woman whose grandfather committed suicide after being falsely indicted in one of Reiner's news shows. When his attempt to introduce intelligent programming bombs, Reiner decides to artificially manipulate the TV ratings to force the channels to alter their schedules in favour of more informed material. Gathering a motley collection of unemployed workers - the unlikeliest band of anarchists you'll ever see - he audaciously sets off his own cultural revolution.A relatively simple story is wonderfully elaborated by a marvellously sympathetic cast. Moritz Bleibtrau (now definitely laying claim to being the most interesting actor working today - just look at his resume for the last 9 years) gives a tour de force as Reiner. His character's metamorphosis from coke-snorting, brash yuppie to contemplative, passionate man of reason is never less than convincing and a wonderful exhibition of his range and charisma. He's ably supported by the luminous Elsa Shultz Gambard (unbelievably making her major film debut) as his guiding angel. The direction - though potentially overindulging in montages just a bit - is uniformly superb, allowing the actors free rein to tell the story. Nonetheless, Weingartner's deferential camera is fully capable of stepping to the fore - the opening 6 minutes constitute probably the most exhilarating car sequence I've seen this year. Though dealing with decidedly academic, political and radical themes, "Reclaim your brain"'s 129 minutes absolutely fly by. It's a blast.Anyone into cinema should see this film. Anyone who's bewailed current popular culture should see this film. Anyone who'd champion education over soma, action over passivity, or quality over quantity should see this film. And I mean SEE. At the post-movie Q&A, Weingarter was disturbingly pessimistic about his ability to continue to make films. Getting the money to make this feature has apparently been a real struggle, and he claims to have sunk most of his money from "The Edukators" into the project. "How can I continue," he asked "if the people who aren't interested in this never see it (he reckons it'll never be on TV), and those who are copy the DVD or download it? Cinema tickets and DVD sales are all I have." I'm not going to preach regarding the crime of copying/downloading, but it'd be a genuine atrocity if this man went out of work. PLease, go see.

This film created quite some controversy. It really depends on how you see it. You shouldn't take it as a drama, that's for sure.I just loved it! It has a great sense of humor. Many really dark humored scenes that made me laugh out aloud, just like the rest of the audience in the cinema I was in.Some bourgeois critics didn't like it, but that for me is only a sign of the narrow mindedness of todays film critics. The film just doesn't follow any of today's rules of art-house cinema. Which is what made it such an refreshing experience to watch for me.A crazy, wild piece of cinema with a strong political message. I liked it much more than "The Edukators", because it's more honest in a sense that it doesn't camouflage it's intent, and also because it's much more satirical.Definitely fun to watch, positively a must-see.

Someone said that if you want to know them you're funny, don't tell them you're funny, tell them a joke. In this case, the last laugh is on the audience. Hans Weingartner's movie is all telling and zero demonstration. Irrespective of temperament and motivation, his characters preach to the camera on the corruptive influence of mainstream television, the liberating powers of learning and movies as a moral institution. At no point in the story do we have any idea why the characters behave the way they do. Laughable. Three reasons to see "Free Rainer" anyway: Rainer's initial display of road rage that leaves even a group of short-tempered skinheads green with fear, an amusing portrayal of a nameless millionaire's wife, and the very lovely Elsa Gambard. It's obvious she can't act, but with face and grace like that, she should have no trouble at all finding work as a model. - Guest appearance by Sarah Kuttner. God knows what's gotten into her.