Memoir of a Snail

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The Stanford Prison Experiment

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So disturbing, intense and believable that it's easy to forget we're watching a movie.

— Justin Gerber, Consequence of Sound

A masterful film. Director Kyle Patrick Alvarez deserves all the praise in the world for the way he cranks up this pressure cooker script.

— Jordan Hoffman, The Guardian

One of the best, most harrowing films of the year.

— Brent McKnight, Cinema Blend

Chilling. A riveting, powerful, provocative film.

— Kyle Smith, New York Post

Presented by IFC Films | United States | Jul 17th, 2015 | 122 MINS | R

What happens when a college psych study goes shockingly wrong? In this tense, psychological thriller based on the notorious true story, Billy Crudup stars as Stanford University professor Dr. Philip Zimbardo, who, in 1971, cast 24 student volunteers as prisoners and guards in a simulated jail to examine the source of abusive behavior in the prison system. The results astonished the world, as participants went from middle-class undergrads to drunk-with-power sadists and submissive victims in just a few days. Winner of two awards at the Sundance Film Festival, including Best Screenplay, and created with the close participation of Dr. Zimbardo himself, The Stanford Prison Experiment is a chilling, edge-of-your-seat thriller about the dark side of power and the effects of imprisonment. Featuring an extraordinary cast of rising young actors, including Ezra Miller, Olivia Thirlby, Tye Sheridan, Keir Gilchrist, Michael Angarano, and Thomas Mann.

Director

  • Kyle Patrick Alvarez

Producers

  • Brent Emery
  • Karen Lauder
  • Lizzie Friedman
  • Greg Little
  • Lauren Bratman

Writer

  • Tim Talbott