The Lives of Others

The Lives Of Others
Directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Starring Martina Gedeck, Ulrich Muhe, and Sebastian Koch
Estimated running time: 137 minutes
Rated R for some sexuality and nudity

A German foreign film, it starts in 1984 East Germany. The secret police of the state, called the Stasi, was charged with protecting their socialist government from possible insurgents by spying and invading the privacy of anyone that they found to be..."questionable". From the beginning, the audience is introduced to Wiesler (Muhe), one of the "best" of the Stasi, trained well in the art of interrogation and surveillance and also dedicated whole-heartedly to his nation and the work they do to "preserve" their way of life. Shortly after watching a play written by Georg Dreyman (Koch), a writer who is liked in both the East and the West and is therefore an asset and a danger to the GDR, and starring the beautiful Christa-Maria Sieland (Gedeck), Dreyman's girlfriend, Wiesler is charged by a minister with the task operating twenty-four hour surveillance on Dreyman's apartment to watch for any potential suspicious activity. Wielser then becomes privy to most of Dreyman's life, especially the parts that have nothing to do with the state.

Without giving too much away, this movie is mostly about how people can feel and connect with others, even in the oddest and perhaps most dangerous of situations where such connections can lead to downfalls. The audience, a voyeur to the lives of the characters in a similar manner as Wiesler is to Dreyman, is able to see and experience emotions that seem downright out of place with what is happening. Not a thriller in such the same sense as an Alfred Hitchcock film, nevertheless, there is always a desire to see what happens next, even if everything might not turn out the way one hopes.

The acting is superb. Muhe plays possibly the most difficult role of the film, having to show a wide range of emotions with as little emotion as possible, and he does it flawlessly. Koch and Gedeck are also fantastic, although their characters are a bit more archetypal and therefore not so much of a stretch.

What can be said about the technical aspects of the movie? The music by Stephane Moucha and Gabriel Yared fits the mood at any given point, foreshadowing future events slightly but always keeping the audience on their toes. And even though nothing there is nothing especially noteworthy about the cinematography, Hagen Bogdanski's work consistently suits the action or inaction of what is happening.

The Lives of Others was nominated for 11 German film awards and currently holds an Oscar nomination. All of these adorations are well deserved. It is definitely a must see film that might go under the radar of most theaters. So go look for it and treat yourself to a real special two and a half hours.