The movie draws from the 1981 novel The Wave by Todd Strasser (writing as Morton Rhue) and a 1981 U.S. TV special.
Director Dennis Gansel was partially inspired by his grandfather, a former member of the National Political Academy (NAPOLA), which helped him understand the "seduction and psychology" behind fascism. Plot Summary
During a project week on "Autocracy," high school teacher (played by Jürgen Vogel) is challenged by his students, who believe a dictatorship could never arise again in modern Germany. To prove them wrong, Wenger initiates a role-playing experiment:
