Handfuls of students at Stanford University were quick to respond to a seemingly innocuous newspaper advertisement for a job that promised to pay fifteen dollars a day, an attractive offer for broke college students. Of those who were interested, twenty-four males were selected and deemed mentally and physically healthy. Then, they were each assigned roles as prisoners or guards for a prison simulation held in the basement of Jordan Hall at their university. To most psychology students, this situation sounds quite familiar. Based on Phillip Zimbardo’s 1971 psychology experiment, the 2015 film, The Stanford Prison Experiment, provides a disturbing view into human nature and tendency. The movie breathes life into the classic experiment. Once the simulation begins, the subjects’ identities transform from college students into prisoners and guards. The experiment was forced to be ended after just six days when it was meant to last fourteen. …show more content…
The interactions between the guards and prisoners continue to escalate as time goes by, often resorting to violence and profanity. Throughout the experiment, the subjects become engrossed within their roles, accepting them completely. Similarly, the realistic portrayal by the actors is startling. Michael Angarano, who plays an authoritarian prison guard, exhibits a remarkable performance. Audience members feel a true hatred and disgust for him before the film’s end. The mere portrayal of the events of the experiment is enough to evoke strong feelings of contempt, confusion, and overall repulsion. It peaks an interest in the audience that cannot be satiated in the length of the movie. For hours afterwards, it leaves the viewer pondering what they just