awesome achievement

Rating: 10/10 (23 March 2007)

I had been waiting to see this film ever since I read about it and it was even better than I expected. First of all it made me sad that American movies so seldom stretch to achieve what film is really capable of as an art form which I believe this film does. The acting was unbelievable, especially the performance of the actor who played Wiesler His communication of the changes this man went through, how we went from being a lonely automaton to risking everything "for others" was a landmark of acting, the transition was made through his expressions and his actions, without any speeches or lightning bolts from heaven. All of the acting was superb, even the "villains" in the chain of command who epitomized the banality of evil and the mindset of someone who "goes along to get along" The arc of the relationship between the playwright and his mistress the actress was poignant and showed the pressures people can give in to when they feel they have no where else to turn. The complexity of the plot requires close attention, but it doesn't drag or get tedious. Finally the poignancy of the situation was heightened by our knowledge, but not that of the protagonists, that within just a few years this whole rotten structure would come tumbling down. This is a film that is required viewing for any true film lover