The Lives Of Others (2006)

Wow. I get so excited when I come across a truly great movie. A movie that eases its way into my subconscious and lingers in my mind for days, or in the case of this movie, infiltrated my dreams and virtually left me with no sleep the night I watched it. A movie, that through all the trite you watch, all the Hollywood fare that gets flung in your face, appears like a diamond in the rough and makes you remember how fantastic the medium can actually be.

I believe that in the right hands, cinema can be a great art form, but to me, what I want primarily from a movie, is plain and simply, to be entertained. Of course there are many levels of being entertained. I am quite happy to slouch on my couch with a drink and pop my brain on the side and enjoy Jean Claude Van Damme high kicking his muscular frame through 90 minutes of uninspired, unoriginal straight to dvd action nonsense, but I am also geared up to sit with my wife Caroline and focus on a deep and passionate subtitled epic that bursts with imaginative originality and blows scenes right off the screen with it's edgy dark fantasy and touching war time drama such as the fantastic Pan's Labyrinth, but it is movies like the latter that smash their way into my infamous top 100 and earn their place as one of my favourite movies of all time and stand as evidence to why watching flicks is my most treasured pass time.

I had had a copy of The Lives Of Others in my collection since The A-Man first raved about it when it was released but it had just merged with a collection of over 100 movies that I have in my possession that I need to get around to watching at some point. It wasn't until Kristina, a very dear friend of mine text me and expressed her feelings about it the night she watched it, that I decided it was time to blow the dust off of it and give it a spin. I love movies, but am pretty crap on history, so through a series of texts, Kristina brought me up to speed with the history to the film, of which is set in East Germany in 1984 six years before the Berlin wall came down, that there 175000 spies for a population of 17 million, less than 100 people per spy with their stated aim to know "everything about everybody." It was clearly very personal and touching to her because she originates from West Germany and was aware of what was going on in East Germany at the time.

The Lives of others, or Das Leben Der Anderen as it is known in Germany, is director, writer and producer Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck's first foray into feature film territory. And man, does he hit the nail on the head perfectly. The movie tells of how Hauptmann Gerd Wiesler, played very skillfully by Kevin Spacey doppelganger Ulrich Muhe, a member of the East Germany secret police, known as the Stasi, is assigned by Minister Bruno Hempf (Thomas Theime) to conduct a surveillance on Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch), a successful playwright and his long time actress girlfriend Christa-Maria (Martina Gedeck), to confirm if they are involved in any anti-communist activities.

Although outwardly communists, the effect the surveillance state is taking on their lives, especially after the blacklisting of fellow theatre director and close friend of Georg, Albert Jerska (Volkmar Kleinert), leads to suicide, Georg and a small group of friends decide to put together a document that is to bring to light factual evidence that the DDR Government are covering up the high suicide rate in East Germany. All the while Hauptmann is listening in on this, but after realising the strain and unfairness put into the lives of Georg and Christa-Maria, and warming to them as people, will he put forward the evidence that would lead Georg down the same doomed path Albert Jerska?

The movie grabs you instantly. Brilliantly scripted and with some of the finest performances from a cast of talented actors and a stirring and intense direction from Von Donnersmarck, topped of with a harrowing story that is brutally told, this movie is bordering on perfection. The movie begins as a disturbing political thriller but soon opens up into a very tense character driven drama that has several great moments of edge of your seat excitement and thrills as well as scenes of tear inducing dramatic intensity. The transition of Hauptmann from isolated and lonely devoted employee to self doubting yet passionate guardian angel is depicted beautifully as through the manipulating and bully he witnessess, realises that there might just be more to life than Law and rules. A great supporting cast with strong characters and several captivating scenes help carry the narrative forward where it could possibly have become slow at times.

I am thankful that this gem is of a low budget and German origin, because in the hands of Hollywood, I am convinced this material would have been raped and the hard impact lost in favour of more over the top thrills and far fetched characterization. It is brought to us very grounded and honest letting the truth be enough to evoke our emotions without having to tweak at it too much if at all.

The Lives Of Others "Absolutely fantastic. A hard hitting, intense and very emotional piece of East Germany's history, this movie, is at the top of it's game on almost every level. " *****