Save your own soul?

Rating: 9/10 (21 June 2007)

Buried in the nicotine-stained depths of the German Democratic Republic, where the Stasi has a secret agent to snoop on every 50 citizens, a golden couple manage to keep up the appearance of success in the theatre; Georg (Koch) as a playwright, Christa-maria (Gedeck) as a charismatic and beautiful actress. He, though, has had to alter his writings to keep the Party off his back and keep in business, and she has to give herself regularly to a repulsive culture 'boss'. At the same time, Donnersmarck makes the link with the machinations of the system as we see first, Stasi spies at the theatre, then star interrogator Captain Wiesler (Muhe) mercilessly extract the wrong information from a prisoner at great length before lecturing young party workers on his good work. The story's, and Wiesler's, snapping point comes when the truly nasty Colonel Grubitz (Tukur) verbally tortures a student in the office canteen after hearing his joke about Erich Honecker, East German premier. The tiny seed of doubt is planted in the mind of this perfect automaton. It's, on the face of it, a complex thriller, and the camera-work and overall feel would be well suited to black and white, so 'noir' is it. All the performances are excellent, from the villainous party leaders to the confused neighbour, but it's really Ulrich Muhe's film. The transfiguration from unfeeling loner to all-out mensch is physical. He starts out looking gaunt like a Giacometti 'walker' and ends as a lonesome teddy bear. It's a tragic story on many levels, but there is that strand of redemption. It's possible to save your own soul. CLIFF HANLEY