Review of The Lives of Others (2006) by Tyler D — 05 Oct 2010
This is a brilliant and beautifully acted peek behind the curtain of mid 80s East Germany into both the dynamics and functions of its government and the heart of its people. One lonely man, whose job is to spy on a couple (German artists) discover through them a new appreciation of life, art and love.
It poses a very basic question, and while having a warm and tender core, never compromises on the reality of the situation for the safety of a feel good moment.
The story is basically of a saga of two good men, a Stasi officer Gerd Wiesler (Ulrich Muehe) who was in charge of spying on and tracking people suspected of treason during the totalitarian period of East Germany history and a theatre director Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch), who is under suspicion.
These characters pose a very basic question: What does a truly good man do, when being good involves going directly against the ideas you believed in for so long? When doing the right thing would imply committing treason against your country? Its such an irony that the only dutiful communists in the movie are the ones trying to find a way around the system.
The movie has the pace of a thriller, the heart of a love story and the sweep of a saga.
This review of The Lives of Others (2006) was written by Tyler D on 05 Oct 2010.
The Lives of Others has generally received very positive reviews.
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