Wow!

Rating: 10/10 (29 August 2007)

Okay, I won't give away any spoilers, though there's really not that much to give away. A Stasi officer spies on a writer...that's the Cliff Notes' version, but it is all in how it is told.
But man, I watched this and couldn't pull myself away. When I was done, I looked at the box and saw that it was over 2 hours...usually beyond my comfort zone, but it felt like half that.
I checked...they made this for $2M dollar. If you look closely you can see that it's very simple sets...stark for the officer...cluttered for his subject. Everything was just done so correctly...lighting, sound, camera moves...simply, yet beautifully...every shot, every edit, fit the story.
So much said in the story without overuse of dialogue....It's called a thriller...I think that is a bit too generous...it's more of a drama...I mean in a thriller, the protagonist is generally forced into a situation...here, I think, Wiesler actually goes into it voluntarily at the start, and only afterward has his crisis of faith in the system.
It's probably not for everyone...certainly not a summer blockbuster, ROMCOM, or slasher...cinemaphiles will certainly like it more than most others, but I wouldn't call it a "heady" film either.