The Lives of Others
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Movie Reviews of The Lives of Others
Movie Review: unexpected hit
Summary: 4 Stars
The movie is both good and entertaining, the acting is simply superb, the historic reconstruction is very believable.
Movie Review: Great movie....
Summary: 4 Stars
the subtitles are very easy to read in this blu-ray format; very clear.I think it was worth the extra cost as I will watch it many times...Movie Review: Will probably join your top 10 list
Summary: 5 Stars
Once in a while, a film comes along, totally unexpectedly, and reveals itself as not just a great film but one that renews your faith in cinema and stays with you long after it has ended. One that shows that film can be the most worthy art form and one which makes you realise this is what the best of cinema really is - intelligent, substantial and made with integrity without employing silly melodramatic contrivances. The Lives of Others is such a film, undoubtedly one of the best films I've seen in the last decade, an intelligent study of a cold, emotionally stern man who undergoes an emotional awakening and humanizing effect by slowly becoming aware of the richness of life that is eluding his own austere existence.
The man in question is Gerd Weisler, a Stasi officer in East Germany in the mid 1980's. He's distrusting and quietly imposing, stands by the socialist ideals of his government and is determined to uncover political dissent wherever possible. He is simply a cog in the regime. There is nothing to warm to, no personality, individuality or life in him. He's a robot worker and nothing else. That is until he is called upon to spy on an artist couple in their apartment who may or may not be up to something. We first see Wiesler's distrust of the writer in an early scene, a distrust based on nothing more than a gut feeling - or perhaps from a twang of jealousy of this man's obvious contentment and fulfillment. To Wiesler, he is simply "arrogant" and so must be a cause for concern. I don't need to go into any more detail about the plot here but needless to say it paves the way for some moments of high tension and clever plot devices.
However, it's what happens to Wiesler's character throughout that really pushes the buttons and makes for such a lasting impression. His transformation from perpetrator to defector, from hunter to protector. During his surveillance mission, he hears everything the couple say and do, mechanically jotting down every last detail in a notebook and then typing up reports. And so he begins to experience the couple's life vicariously and slowly starts to realise that he wants, needs what they have and that he doesn't - friends, love, beauty, fulfillment. We see him start to change, to restrain himself in situations where he would usually impose himself, we see wonderful key moments where he displays acts of kindness and reveals emotions we didn't think he would be capable of. He ends up surprising us, redeeming himself by risking his career and life for the artists, by calmly deflecting the suspicions of his wily superiors about his integrity to the cause, protecting the inevitably tragic couple from above like some personal guardian angel completely unbeknownst to them, who have no idea they are even under surveillance.
Such a character study would be nothing without a great actor and Ulrich M?he plays the role perfectly, it's hard to imagine anyone else playing it (what a real shame he passed away recently). His role recalls that of Billy Bob Thornton's in The Man Who Wasn't There, someone who hardly says two words but expresses everything beautifully through his body language and facial expressions. We see him in many different states during the course of the film; from a sometimes menacing and ice cold authoritative instructor and interrogator for the Stasi through to a simple menial state postal worker, allowing time to pass him by as he plods along on his route. He is always believable and an interesting character to watch unfold. The rest of the acting is also first rate, especially from Wiesler's Stasi superiors.
Despite the obvious differences, I would sum up The Lives of Others as a The Shawshank Redemption for this decade because of its significant emotional arc. It has a beautifully controlled, unrushed poetic approach and you get the feeling that the filmmaker (also a debut) has put all he has into it, has fashioned it with a lot of care and attention. You could also say that like Shawshank, it follows a man's escape from an oppressive and dehumanising regime to become human once again. Also, the happy ending is perfectly understated and although Wiesler doesn't exactly end up finding happiness, he's afforded a sort of standing ovation at the end and his final words in the film will certainly bring a lump to your throat. You'll want to pat him on the back and shake his hand. An unsung hero given and appreciating the recognition he deserves.
Movie Review: highly recommended provocative
Summary: 5 Stars
this film is absorbing and the acting is thrilling. it deserved all the awards it could getMovie Review: Insightful; 4.5 Stars
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an excellent film; writing, directing, and cinematography are all excellent. The acting, featuring wonderful performances by Martina Gedeck and Ulrich Muhe, is superb. What this film conveys so well is the experience of living in a repressive and corrupt police state like the GDR. In proportion to population, the East German State Security service (the Stasi) was impressively large and a significant fraction of the GDR's population were informants for the Stasi.
The story line is clever. A veteran Stasi operative is detailed to perform surveillance on a well known playwright. The latter, however, is not a dissident but involved in a romance with a talented actress who is being pursued simultaneously by a powerful Minister. The goal of the surveillance is to find something that will allow the playwright to be eliminated as a romantic rival. Both the Stasi officer and the playwright are committed to the regime. The movie suspensefully details their mutual disillusionment and the Stasi officer becomes emotionally involved with playwright and in love, albeit from a distance, with the actress girlfriend. The parallelism is expanded as the Stasi officer creatively fabricates information to prevent the playwright from being jailed.
The movie does a wonderful job of showing how the nature of the GDR fostered an atmosphere of constant mutual suspiscion, degrading the quality of personal life. The ease with which the system could be exploited by the powerful is shown well also. The multiple humiliating, and often actually degrading compromises of personal integrity and the betrayals needed to get by in the GDR are presented in a matter of fact manner that emphasizes the pervasive effects of the police state.
The ending, however, is somewhat melodramatic and sentimental, which tends to underlmine the effectiveness of the film's portrayal of the GDR. There is also an element of the romantic notion that art is liberating, which is questionable.