Review: The Lives of Others (2006)
Steve Rhodes
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2007 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ***
Scary and realistic, THE LIVES OF OTHERS (DAS LEBEN DER ANDEREN) follows the
workings of the Secret Police, the "Statsi," in East Germany. This
organization, which, we are told, had 100,000 employees, was responsible for
spying on its fellow citizens in order to ferret out any enemies of the
state -- an "enemy" being loosely and flexibly defined as anyone who made
any remark that might be considered anti-communist. But the biggest crime
of all was to be caught in the cross-hairs of some high-level party official
who didn't like you.
A much deserved Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Language Film, Florian
Henckel von Donnersmarck's THE LIVES OF OTHERS follows Captain Gerd Wiesler
(Ulrich Mühe), a coldly efficient Statsi bureaucrat, as he tries to bring
down Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch), a loyal socialist playwright. Since
Dreyman is a dedicated socialist, he might not be an obvious target, but
Wiesler never trusts anyone, especially those who seem pure. If Wiesler
were a maniac, he wouldn't have been so frightening. But, as this average
looking, middle class -- at least middle class in the context of East Berlin
in 1984 -- guy teaches his eager Statsi students how to break anyone during
interrogation, don't be surprised if goose bumps go up and down your skin.
Dreyman appears doomed when Minister Bruno Hempf (Thomas Thieme), a party
bigwig, orders Wiesler's boss, to find dirt on Dreyman since Hempf has
fallen for actress Christa-Maria Sieland (Martina Gedeck), Dreyman's
girlfriend. Christa-Maria wants nothing to do with Hempf, a crude oaf who
forces himself on her repeatedly in the back of his state provided limo.
Eventually, both Dreyman and Wiesler change, although one of the character's
arcs is a little easier to believe than the other's. What is especially
credible are all of the long spy sessions as Wiesler sits like a soldier at
attention as he listens stoically over the headphones, which are tapping
every inch of Dreyman's apartment. Most of the movie is a character study,
but there is a bit of a mystery towards the end. We know what is happening,
but most of the Statsi don't. THE LIVES OF OTHERS is a gripping and
cautionary tale that may feel like ancient history until we remember that
1984 wasn't that long ago and the threat of Communism has been replaced by
even scarier threats to Western Civilization from the forces that loathe
freedom.
THE LIVES OF OTHERS runs 2:17. The film is in German with English
subtitles. It is rated R for "some sexuality/nudity" and would be
acceptable for teenagers.
The film opens nationwide in the United States on Friday, February 16, 2007.
In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the Camera Cinemas.
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