strip search accused boy

In 1971, Stanford's Professor Philip Zimbardo conducts a controversial psychology experiment in which college students pretend to be either prisoners or guards, but the proceedings soon get out of hand. Based on a true story.

An intensive psychological test by Professor Philip Zimbardo in 1971 saw US students volunteer to play prisoners and guards in an bid to examine the nature of good and evil. Within five days, four prisoners had broken down and another was on hunger strike. This film, containing strong language, reveals why the test was abandoned after less than a week.

20 men are chosen to participate in the roles of guards and prisoners in a psychological study that ultimately spirals out of control.

20 volunteers agree to take part in a seemingly well-paid experiment advertised by the university. It is supposed to be about aggressive behavior in an artificial prison situation. A journalist senses a story behind the ad and smuggles himself in among the test subjects. They are randomly divided into prisoners and guards. What seems like a game at the beginning soon turns into bloody seriousness.