The Lives of Others 2006

     This film begins in 1984.  Gerd Wiesler is an officer with the Stasi.  This is the East German secret police.  Wiesler attends a play written by Georg Dreyman.  Georg is considered by many to be the ultimate example of a loyal citizen.  Wiesler has a gut feeling that Dreyman can’t be as ideal as he seems?  He believes surveillance is needed?  The Minister of Culture agrees but later Wiesler learns that the Minister sees Dreyman as a rival.  The Minister is also very interested in Dreyman’s partner Christa-Maria.  Wielser continually listens in on the couple.  But, there is an unexpected consequence of his surveillance?  He begins to actually care about them??  He begins to protect them whenever it is possible!!  

     The setting of this film is the oppressive world of communist East Germany in the 1980’s.  There is relentless pursuit of enemies of the state and anyone who dares to think differently.  Psychological cruelty including interrogation tactics like sleep deprivation.  An unexpected and violent death.  A suicide and a discussion about the government’s efforts to cover up suicide rates in East Germany.  Characters smoke lots of cigarettes and drink lots of liquor.  A couple gets undressed and kisses and a man has an interlude with a prostitute.  A government official crudely gropes an uninterested woman.  This film is filled with hidden thoughts and secret desire.  5* (I really liked this movie)  

137 min, Drama directed and written by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck with Ulrich Muhe, Martina Gedeck, Sebastian Koch, Thomas Thieme, Hans-Uwe Bauer, Volkmar Kleinert, Matthias Brenner, Charly Hubner, Herbert Knaup, Bastian Trost, Marie Gruber, Volker Michalowski, Werner Daehn, Martin Brambach.

Note:  Imdb 8.4* out of 10* with 353,160 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 93% with 161 critics 96% with 121,680 user ratings, Common Sense Media Cynthia Fuchs, 4* out of 5*, age 17+, 3* violence, 5* sex, 3* language, 3* drinking, drugs & smoking, Roger Ebert 4*, The Guardian 4* out of 5* Peter Bradshaw, empire online 5* Alan Morrison, Amazon 4.7* out of 5* with 2,012 reviews.

Special Note:  One of the characters in this film is a government informer.  In real life, the actor Ulrich Muhe (in the role of Hauptmann Gerd Wiesler) discovered that his own wife was a Stasi informant?