Review of The Lives of Others (2006) by Brian R — 06 Oct 2010

Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's(I can't even pronounce his last name sorry) directorial debut. It puts me in mind of other tapping/bugging films such as "Nixon", "The Anderson Tapes", "Red", and "The Conversation". The tone and pacing is successfully good, the dialogue is cold and almost nerve wracking and the late German actor Ulrich Mühe plays the eavesdrop Stasi agent listening and spying on a well known author and his gf(who is actress), quietly waiting to capture his prey. As the picture progresses the Stasi agent wonders and questions his own motives of what is right and what is not.

The very first scene of the students listening to an intterogation then cutting to the scene of the interrogation itself pulled me in right away. "The Lives Of Others" made me somewhat angry because during the the Cold War East Germany were bugging it's citizens in real life since many ppl from he east were desperately trying to defect to the west. In 1989 the fall of the Berlin Wall came crumbling down putting an end to the East/West madness and the feeling of being watched or listen.

"The Lives of Others" is a great piece of filmmaking all throughout establishing Donnersmarck as a great storyteller especially in the political genere category. He should try to make more films like this.