The Lives of Others

Rating: 10/10 (6 October 2007)

The German award winning The Lives of Others, which focuses on the Secret Police/ or Stassi of the former East Germany. From beginning to end, I have to say that I was just blown away. Everything is just perfectly blended together, the acting, directing, the script.
At it's core, The Lives of Others is really about examing one's own humanity. Ulrich Mühe plays the lead character, Wiesler who finds himself not only questioning his mission, but also his 'cause.' The fact, that the people he is orderered to spy on are just normal people-people who have really no real threat-beings to break his foundation. What makes his character interesting, is that his change doesn't just come out of nowhere, but as the viewer you really do start to see these subtile little changes. For instance, the greatest example I could give is that scene in the elevator with the young boy.
The Lives of Others succeeds, because in the end-it makes you think about the particular situations these people are in. Who they are, and what they can ( take the politician character, Minsiter Hempf) and can't do, or not able or willing to do. The scenes involving the artist/playwright Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch)& his girlfriend, the actress Christa-Maria ( Martina Gedeck) are just fantastic. Especially.........................