Das Leben der Anderen: Subtle But Touching

Rating: 7/10 (5 July 2010)

A movie I'd long been intending to watch, Das Leben der Anderen has many accolades to its name, not least of all its Oscar. Add to this the generally intarnishable excellence of modern German cinema, and you have a sure recipe for entertainment.
An exploration of Cold War Germany, Das Leben der Anderen is the story of GDR espionage officer Gerd Wiesler in his duties spying upon playwright and actress couple Georg and Christa-Maria. Initially a faithful servant of the East, Wiesler is slowly romaniticised by the ideals subtly instilled within his subconscience by those he surveills.
As one might expect from a film set during this era, Das Leben der Anderen is heavily political. We see this immediately expressed through several characters, primarily Wiesler. Cold, austere, and unemotional, he shows us the filmmakers' view of East Germany and its agents, conveying to us the sinister notoriety of this infamous entity. It takes perhaps half an hour of the film's running time before we observe a trace of humanity within the character: a veritable needle in a haystack of socialist stoicism. The gentle unravelling of his personal life is wonderful, giving us a detailed picture by showing a blank canvas. As Wiesler's vacuous life of monotony and iciness rolls on, the shared life of his assigned targets seems ever more appealing, the romance between them something entirely foreign and unknown to him. This juxtaposition, purveyed through colour schemes of respective apartments as well as the actors themselves, is for me more appealing than the film's significant political commentary. The extent of the effect of Georg upon Wiesler, despite the fact that they never actually meet, is fantastically enthralling, slowly coming to show us the human side of the previously authoritarian figure. Undoubtedly, the praise for this belongs to Mühe, his performance calm, collected, and capturing. As well as the gripping characterisation, the film's plot is involving; a well paced drama that effectively shows us life behind the wall. The film is rife with subtle but touching moments, beautiful in their simplicity and impact. Not least of these is the closing line, its delivery absolutely perfect and hard-hitting. Tonally, the film is consistent and insistent, evidencing the eagerness of von Donnersmarck to tell this important story.
Accurately portraying the concomitant fear, uncertainty, and disillusion of the GDR's command, Das Leben der Anderen propels us effortlessly into the world of its characters. Slowly and comprehensively crafting a complete picture of its main character, one which gradually affixes itself forever to our affections, this is a very fine film indeed.