A Monumental Triumph!

Rating: 9/10 (12 September 2014)

The acclaimed German-speaking film, The Lives of Others is a well-written, addicting thriller that talks about a time in very modern history that not many movies have covered. This film covers Eastern Berlin in the 1980's, just before the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Unlike many thrillers, this film doesn't rely on drawn-out car chases or bloody gun battles, but more so on tense character development and I welt so moved by the film, I literally thought there would be members of the Stasi creeping up behind me while watching the film.
Florian Donnersmark's film, which was awarded an Oscar for best foreign film, is about a member of the secret police named Captain Wiesler who listens into people he believes to be enemies. But when he is assigned to listen to the famous and beloved playwright, Georg Dreyman, his life is about to take on a big change.
This film is great in part to the wonderful acting. The late Ulrich Muhe does a wonderful job as Captain Wiesler and all his scenes were just perfection. In fact, the final scene he is in should be enough to move you to tears. Sebastian Koch does a great job as Georg Dreyman, a playwright who is also bent on escaping over the Wall.
Overall, The Lives of Others is a very well-made thriller that will teach you about the lifestyle of people back then and how the citizens had to live in fear. There are no car chases here, but there is an actual story that is worth checking out. These kind of slow-burners are the best thrillers of them all and this made for an engaging thriller. Despite being spoken in German, I think Americans should watch this film. I rate this film 9/10.