Doesn't leave quite the impact you wanted, but still an excellent film that deserves to be seen

Rating: 10/10 (16 April 2008)

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning
In East Germany, 1984, an era of socialism is in swing and the oppressive government tries to spy on and control the people. Gerd Wiesler (Ulrich Muhe) is one of the Stasi's best soldiers and is told to spy on playwright Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch) and his actress girlfriend. But as he spots their beautiful freedom and love, his own heart becomes melted and he becomes softened against the harsh regeime he serves. But when a close friend of Georg's commits suicide, he writes a subversive article on why the government has been listing suicides as 'self murders' for many years which manages to get published. Wiesler then becomes torn between his duties to his government and his newfound love for this pair.
Foreign films, or 'arthouse' films, of course have never received the same kind of publicity and promotion as your average brainless, popcorn munching Hollywood blockbuster. So it was that my first introduction to the existence of The Lives of Others was a glowing review in the DVD section of Empire Magazine (Empire Magazine have said it's brilliant...it must be great!) With all the praise heaped on it, and all the five stars handed out by various other critics/magazines, it's a wonder the film never got it's own billboard in Times Squaire! Well, now I've managed to seek it out and see it for myself, and while it's not a film that's changed my life in any way, I can still say it's an excellent film that deserves to be seen and which you may well want to see again.
The film lifts the lid on just how intrusive, controlling and oppressive the East German government was in the early 80s, showing a mentality that hadn't changed much since the days of the Nazis (the stasis just sounding like a fancy new word, really.) But in this environment of oppression and bottled misery, we see a beautiful light shine in the shape of Dreyman's love for his actress girlfriend, which of course the oppressor's want to control right away and which turns into a slow burning tale, that feels a bit boring to start with but if you stick with it and pay attention, soon becomes quite gripping and will have you hooked to the emotionally devastating ending.
The performances are spot on, too. Muhe is excellent as the no nonsense, disciplined loyal soldier, not even cracking a smile when his colleagues around him are, whose impossibly cold heart is finally melted when he sees a life he couldn't even have thought of before and Dreyman shines as the creative artist, who still manages to keep his spirit alive even in a world of control and limits, which pays off horribly in the end.
Florian Hencknel von Donnersmarck has crafted a film that will not be forgotten quickly. *****