Excellent Drama

Rating: 9/10 (7 June 2008)

As an American, I had heard about the Stasi and the degradation of private lives under totalitarian regimes, but this film at last lays it out for all to see. The story is about a couple who are under surveillance and about the people who do the surveillance as well.
Under the GDR as here depicted no privacy is exempt from the grasping paws of party bigwigs. It would appear that "socialism" was the first ideal to be jettisoned by politicians aiming at power/career goals or just lusting after flesh. But their devotion to "socialism" expresses itself in unlimited zealotry in the violation of privacy in the name of security of the State.
As a result of this unnatural intrusion, trust becomes fractured in every direction. The main character wrongly concludes his wife is willingly unfaithful. The party boss for his part possibly deceives himself that his groping of the woman is somehow not blatant violation.
The tactics of the Stasi are repulsive because of their cynicism. A neighbor who was aware of the Stasi's visit to plant bugging devices is not only threatened but also sent a gift of thanks for her cooperation.
While the couple share a liberating moment in which he promises her that their love will see them through, nevertheless the tactics of the Stasi are successful in perverting her to its purposes. It is a perfect nightmare, a Hell with no escape--and then unexpectedly it ends when the Wall comes down.
What follows is a post mortem of the past by the main character in which he discovers in Stasi records truths about his past relationships that he could not have guessed. Definitely worth seeing.