Das Leben der Anderen

Rating: 8/10 (27 February 2007)

"Das Leben der Anderen" by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck is a very good examination of the life circumstances in the former DDR. I'm very impressed by the acting in this film, mostly by Ulrich Mühe. He plays this stoic guy, a seemingly strong believer in the DDR-socialist system. We see his apartment, which is sparsely furnished. An exemplary citizen, who is working hard to protect the state against its enemies. And yet, by supervising all these artists, he gets a glimpse, that there might be something else to life than what he had learned. It also makes the fundamental problem of surveillance subject of discussion: It doesn't work, because who supervises the supervisors? And it also discusses the arbitrariness of the state leaders and makes universally applicable statements. Martina Gedeck and Sebastian Koch share a very interesting dialogue about the compromises you have to make in a system like this. Everyone has to make decisions. Who are we to judge if we don't see the big picture?