Das Leben der Anderen [The Lives of Others] (2006)

Storyline:
In the early 1980s, Georg Dreyman (a successful dramatist) and his longtime companion Christa-Maria Sieland (a popular actress), were huge intellectual stars in (former) East Germany, although they secretly don't always toe the party line.
One day, the Minister of Culture becomes interested in Christa, so the secret service agent Wiesler is instructed to observe and sound out the couple, but their life fascinates him more and more.

Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Writers: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Stars: Ulrich Mühe, Martina Gedeck, Sebastian Koch
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt

Year: 2006
Genre: Drama, History, Thriller
Country: Germany

Trailer:


Review:
Das Leben der Anderen is a powerful but quiet movie, constructed of hidden thoughts and secret desires. A political thriller that's consistently as inventive as it is creepy.
The scope is especially impressive given that the movie is about a society obsessively focused on the tiniest of details.
Wiesler is a fascinating character. His face is a mask, trained by his life to reflect no emotion. Sometimes not even his eyes move. As played in Muehe's performance of infinite subtlety, he watches Dreyman as a cat awaits a mouse. And he begins to internalize their lives -- easy, because he has no life of his own, no lover, no hobby, no distraction from his single-minded job.
Racing toward its cataclysmic conclusion, “The Lives of Others” provided a troubling depiction of a political clamp on expression and emotion.

Personal Rating: 8/10

Posted in: 2006,Drama,Germany,History,Thriller