Terrific screenplay and solid performances for a powerfully gripping drama

Rating: 9/10 (5 December 2009)

It is the second time I have seen this movie. When I first saw it I remember feeling upset by the idea that just a little more than 20 years ago, in the heart of a civilized and enlightened Europe, there dominated such cultural repression and such terroristic means of questioning. Not that history of the former DDR was unknown to me, but probably because undeveloped at school, or probably because a little disregarded also by cinematography, it was rather upsetting. On a second watching, having assimilated the strong impact of the first one, I could better analyze the quality of the movie from a cinematographic point of view, and really appreciate it. It has a solid structure which makes every shot perfectly match with the whole, and contributes to an overall clear, lucid and perfectly built drama. The story proceeds with a quick pace, each scene is the preparation for the next one, everything is under control and follows a well marked and gripping path. The cast is simply outstanding: the actress playing Christa Maria is truly convincing in showing her deep inner laceration between her love for the stage and her love for Georg, the handsome and attractive dramatist, who knows where the right side lies, but finds it hard to assert it explicitly. But who leaves the most emotionally powerful mark is Ulrich Muhe interpreting Wiesler: he stirs thought and emotion, he is so dramatically contained, as his character requires, but, in a single hint at a smile (whe he reads Brecht's poems), conveys such a desperate yearning for true life, I think an Oscar deserving interpretation. In the end, a movie I would absolutely advise: it is intelligently thought-provoking, intellectually honest, and solidly built: a high-level piece of cinema. Really worth seeing.