how Stanley Milgram himself would have made it. Almereyda decided to have Milgram break the fourth wall based on viewing films of his in which Milgram would talk to the camera, reminding him of Rod Serling or Alfred Hitchcock. From this Almereyda figured having the character talk to the camera "seemed natural and in fact essential to include that in the movie." On May 13, 2014, Peter Sarsgaard and Winona Ryder joined the cast. On June 30, Kellan Lutz, Taryn Manning, Anton Yelchin, Anthony Edwards, and Edoardo Ballerini joined the cast. Principal photography began on June 5, 2014, in New York City. Release The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2015. On March 26, 2015, Magnolia Pictures acquired distribution rights to the film. The film was released on October 16, 2015, in a limited release and through video on demand. Reception Experimenter received positive reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an 85% approval rating based on 80 reviews, with an average rating of 7.20/10. The consensus reads: "Led by a gripping performance from Peter Sarsgaard, Experimenter uses a fact-based story to pose thought-provoking questions about human nature." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 81 out of 100 calculated from 20 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". See also The Tenth Level References External links 2015 films 2015 biographical drama films 2010s historical drama films American biographical drama films American historical drama films Drama films based on actual events Films set in 1961 Films set in the 1960s Films shot in New York City Films directed by Michael Almereyda 2015 drama films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films