Mature, engaging and thoughtful drama across many aspects

Rating: Null/10 (17 March 2008)

In 1984 East Germany is ruled by the Stasi, the secret police whose goal is to know everything and root out any signs of disloyalty to the ruling party. Whenever writer Georg Dreyman and his actress girlfriend Christa-Maria are placed under suspicion the Stasi are put on surveillance duty over his whole life, the task being given to one of their most trusted and experienced men, Captain Gerd Wiesler. Wiesler learns of the true motivations behind the surveillance and at the same time finds himself more and more drawn into the lives of Sieland and Dreyman from his unseen vantage point.
The few critical remarks on this page have mainly focused on one aspect of the film  its pace. I will concede that the film moves quite slowly and that those looking for "Enemy of the State" type thrills will be disappointed. However this is more to do with them as viewers rather than the film because for the majority of us the "slowness" will be patience and the lack of action set pieces just leaves more room for character and plot development. What it then manages to do is all the more surprising for being the directorial debut of writer/director von Donnersmarck, the outcome is a solid and satisfying story that may not make everything clear as day but in not doing this it actually respects the viewer rather than disappointing them.
At essence the story starts about the surveillance mission but, much in the same way as Wiesler is drawn in, the viewer find the attention then split between the characters, all of them on quite an equal footing. The themes of power and "good" are explored within the characters in ways that I found to be interesting, challenging and very well done. It is usually a mark of a good film that one is still thinking about it a few days later (well, apart from some films that are so bad I'm still thinking murderous thoughts about them days later!). Donnersmarck has done very well as writer to build the themes into the nature of the characters and their stories so that repeat viewings or reflections on the film provide more of interest. His direction is strong as well, producing strong shots that stick in the memory and also make good use of the sets.
The cast are roundly good. Mühe is the main one that people draw attention to and rightly so as his grey little man manages to fascinate with few words or direct actions. Gedeck is good but in a different way as her character carries much more of the weight in regards the pressure of the Stasi and also the thoughts over the morality of her character  she brings these out well. Koch is not quite the presence I had wanted as I found him a bit bland but yet still serviceable in the character. Support is suitably menacing from Tukur and Thieme and the cast doesn't really have a weak link in it.
Overall then an excellent and mature film that deserves the praise and the awards it has garnered. Those complaining that it is "slow" are correct in their statement but I do not agree with it as a criticism  just an observation of the pace. Instead the steady delivery allows for the gradual development of characters, story and themes that are surprisingly rich, engaging and ultimately satisfying. One of those films that provides food for thought for some time after viewing.