One of the Best Political Thrillers Ever Made

Rating: 9/10 (16 September 2010)

¨The state office for statistics on Hans-Beimler street counts everything; knows everything: how many pairs of shoes I buy a year: 2.3, how many books I read a year: 3.2 and how many students graduate with perfect marks: 6,347. But there's one statistic that isn't collected there, perhaps because such numbers cause even paper-pushers pain: and that is the suicide rate.¨ German director, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, directed and wrote one of the best German films I've seen to date: Das Leben Der Anderen (The Lives of Others). This is just a remarkable movie which will stay with you for a long time. The director grabs your attention from the very opening scene and shocks you with this excellent thriller. After watching this, it comes as no surprise that this movie won the Oscar in 2007 for best foreign picture because it is really well made, the script is gripping, and the performances are great. There is nothing negative to say about this movie because it is just one of those films that sticks with you and shows you the dangers of a socialist government when freedom of expression is dismissed. After seeing this political thriller, you will never feel the same way about freedom and privacy. This is not one of those boring political movies, it actually has a great script and the story unfolds at a good pace. The movie actually ranks at 55 in the top 250 movies of all time according to IMDb so it is amongst good company. This is one film you will not want to miss and it exposes everything that is wrong with an authoritarian government.
The story takes place in East Germany in 1984 when the Berlin Wall still divided the country. Hauptmann Wiesler (Ulrich Muhe) worked as a spy for East Germany's secret police. The socialist government was banning several artists who were right winged, and Wiesler was handed the task of spying a play writer named Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch) who lived with his actress-girlfriend, Christa-Maria Sieland (Martina Gedeck). Georg is one of the few writers who hasn't been banned yet, although he has received some threats from Minister Bruno Hempf (Thomas Thieme), so he knows he has to be very careful with how he expresses himself in his writing. The Minister also seems to have an eye for Christa and will do what he can to be with her. Georg hangs around a lot with one of his friends who happens to be a right winged director named Albert Jerska (Volkmar Kleinert). Albert is very unhappy with the government controls and is always protesting. One day he commits suicide and this opens Georg's eyes on how the authoritarian regime is killing individual freedoms. The suicide rate is growing at an alarming rate and Georg wants to write about it although he fears the government. Wiesler is convinced that he is doing the best for his socialist country and works proudly for his government. He is a very lonely man and is dedicated fully to his job, but as he spies on Georg and his relationship with Christa he becomes more and more involved with their life and discovers some revealing information. The plot begins to thicken from this point and the movie completely hooks your attention.
The Lives of Others is probably one of the best political thrillers I've seen in a long time and it is the best German film I have seen to date. The script was nicely written, the performances were great; Ulrich Muhe, Sebastian Koch, and Martina Gedeck all gave terrific performances, and the soundtrack was also great. There is one scene where Georg is playing a sonata in the piano while Wiesler is listening and you can see how his face actually lights up when he hears the music. I think that the audience had a similar response to that of Wiesler, or at least I did because it was just a terrific scene. If you haven't seen this movie then don't waste any more time and go see it because it is one of those movies that will stay with you for a long time. It is one of those few movies that are more than entertaining and actually leave you more enlightened. A very well made movie, definitely worth checking out! http://estebueno10.blogspot.com/