The Lives of Others (2006)

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

A winner Oscar movie sometimes is overrated by critics or excited audience, but this is not the case here. For more than two hours,you will go in a journey of one of best dramatic & thrilling adventures of the secret police of East Germany "Stasi".The movie start with an investigation scene of a suspect by a "Stasi" officer "Gerd Wiesler", then he tries to move his ways of investigations to his students in order to be great "Stasi" officers.He will move to the surveillance of "Georg Dreyman",then the events follow in a great sequence while we are watching how the power can control each element of the society,how it can be misused to achieve personal interests and how the opinion of power holders can be wrong.The most stunning thing you will watch in the movie is the perfect acting of "Ulrich Mühe" who plays the role of "Gerd Wiesler" the "Stasi" officer, he really nailed it in every small detail in each corner of the character, his rigid non smiling face throughout the movie makes you believe he was a former "Stasi" officer.Finally, it's one of the best non-English speaking movies, it tells the story of the conflict between East & West Germany in a simple way. It's a beautiful drama/thriller movie that will not get bored watching it more than a time.

For everyone who's lived in a communist country it feels like traveling back in time. The oppressive feeling is there, the indiscriminate distrust, the mutilated human relationships. The second pair of eyes, the hamstrung friendship, the crippled love, the despair, the humiliation. It is not an easy voyage back, but it's worth every second of it for reminding us that any oppressive system needs our eyes and ears. Only if we remember, will we refuse to become accomplices once more. Thank you, Germany, for keeping the memory alive!

This movie reveals the detail and depth the Stasi went in to intruding and spying on the lives of the citizens of the DDR. It is eye-opening and very informative for those who do not know a lot about the DDR. Two themes of this movie, love and watching, are present throughout the entire film. Wiesler is desperate for love or even just a human connection. Dreymann and Christa-Maria have a strong relationship, even after it is tested by Christa's questionable actions. Wiesler longs for this kind of love after observing it day after day. Wiesler observes Dreymann from afar at the play, and the Stasi soon begins to spy on him as well. The neighbor across the hall watches out her peephole at what has been done to Dreymann's apartment. Another theme is change. Hempf says that people can never truly change, but we see that this is not the case through Wiesler's softening and sympathy for Georg and Christa Maria. Wiesler begins to care truly care for the writer and his girlfriend whom he spies on. He takes risks that could cost him his job because of the empathy he has gained through intruding on their lives. He even makes a point to tell Christa Maria that she is a great actress and that many people love her when he gets the chance. This movie is very well done and thoughtful. The only downfall to this film, perhaps, is how sad it is, particularly the ending.

For those who love history, this movie is for you. As a college student in the United States I only knew about the DDR from what I had learned in history classes and the little I learned from traveling in Europe. I could never fully imagine the effects that the wall and the Stasi had on the people of Germany. Das Leben der Anderen gives an outsider an inside look as to what East Germany was like. Wiesler is a Stasi captain who has been assigned to monitor Georg Dreymann, a German playwright who is trying to get support for his friend Jerska who has been blacklisted by the German government. Wiesler bugs Dreymann's apartment, and he is soon thrust into the world of the writer. Though this starts out as a simple mission, Wiesler begins to see how the government has affected these people. He begins to care about Dreymann, especially towards the end of the movie. One of the main arguments that is brought to attention in the film is that people never change. Obviously that is not true. The most significant change throughout the film is Wiesler. He doesn't view his job as a simple mission anymore. He has to protect the people that he has grown to care about, even if it ends up costing him his job. The film shows that people can change. Wielser is always associated with the color gray, a very neutral color. This shows that not everything can be black and white. One must dig deeper to see the true nature of people. It shows the darkness that was within Germany, parts that those who didn't live in the time may not fully understand until seeing the film. I think everyone should see this film because it brings history to life. There are so many layers to every aspect of this film. Each time you watch you can find something new that you didn't notice before. It truly makes you think.