The Lives of Others or Das Leben der Anderen Movie Review

Set during the height of the cold war in East Germany, The Lives of Others (Das Leben der Anderen) cuts a slice from the time. Brilliantly written and directed, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck enlightens us to the struggles of the East German people before the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Government sanctioned playwright Georg Dreyman is loyal to the party line. When his friend commits suicide and his death goes uncounted, Dreyman realizes the cruelty and propaganda of the government. He decides to write a play about suicide in East Germany that would damn him to prison. His longtime girlfriend's status as a government approved actress is only as assured as her willingness to perform morally questionable deeds for one government official. On a hunch, the Stasi (a branch of the East German Secret Police) decide to bug their home. The stringent agent in charge of listening in, Hauptmann Gerd Wiesler, sees Dreyman's girlfriend, Christa-Maria Sieland, in a play. His affection for her talent skews his usually staunch point of view and he begins to walk a thin line between infatuation and treason.

Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's story creates suspense without bullets or explosions. The tension comes from an intangible fear palpable even to the audience. The script opens each character like a morning glory facing the first rays of the day. Each character's development is natural, slow, painful and dramatic. While there is a subtlety to each performance, there is no ambiguity when the characters make an emotional revelation.

Ulrich Mühe's performance is outstanding. Ulrich Mühe melts the emotions and demeanor of Georg Dreyman. Of all the characters in "The Lives of Others," Hauptmann Gerd Wiesler's is the most demanding because his character develops far more than any other. Mühe's performance is masterfully controlled but takes enormous risks. In one of the memorable scenes where Wiesler is over come by the moment, his staunchly stoic demeanor cracks and a fleating glimor of humanity shines through. Given the character at the beginning of the film, Mühe's luminosity stings your eyes and pierces your heart.

Sebastian Koch's character George Dreyman is naïve to the true nature of his country. A political moderate, he tends to see both sides of the political and social systems. Dreyman's moderation paralyzes his ability to act or even see the truth. Koch peels the innocence off of Dreyman like leaves off of artichokes; each of his secretive acts removing the layers, potentially exposing his heart. It isn't until he can no longer face the evidence without denying his own intelligence he decides to create a clandestine arrangement with a publisher in West Germany. Koch affords us the opportunity to see innocence smashed and hearts broken in a timeless and frightful way. He lends strength to Dreyman that gives him the courage to do what he feels he morally must do.

The only disappointment for me was Martina Gedeck. Gedeck plays Koch's longtime girlfriend Christa-Maria Sieland. Sieland is the unbridled emotion in the film. Gedeck shows restraint when she should be wildly emotional. She gets out of control when she should be restrained. Maybe this is the fault of the writer/director because he can't understand the inner workings of a woman but Gedeck does nothing to recover the character. She was almost a throwback to the 1940's melodramatic war era heroines. Why actresses in distress being shaken throw their heads back, I will never understand.

The way "The Lives of Others" is shot is almost its own setting in the film. The slightly grainy film, foggy afternoon lighting and dank visuals give a powerful mood to the film. The cinematographer, Hagen Bogdanski, particularizes every angle, dissipation of light and motion of the actors. He scrutinizes the details so the audience can effortlessly feel things as they emote from the characters.

The fantastic visuals, amazing acting, insightful writing and all encompassing direction makes "The Lives of Others" a film worth actively watching.