I spy with my little eye... (The Lives Of Others (DVD))

Member Name: SWSt

Product:	The Lives Of Others (DVD)
Date:	04/05/07 (159 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fantastic acting, atmospheric setting, well-written

Disadvantages: Slightly derivative, a little too long

What’s it about?
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A top Stasi (Secret Police) Officer is assigned to listen in on a renowned East German playwright. It is an experience which has far-reaching consequences for both.

Who’s in it?
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Unless you are an aficionado of German cinema, the chances are the cast will be unknown to you. Which is a shame, as it’s a top-notch cast full of extremely talented actors who deserve to be better known outside their native Germany.

The most stunning performance comes from Ulrich Muhe, as Stasi Officer Gerd Wiesler. Muhe is incredible. Dedicated, the best at his job and almost emotionless, his portrayal is utterly convincing. He is almost lizard-like, virtually unblinking, with a calm exterior that seems to hide a seething anger within. Despite knowing everything about who he is and what he does, we still want to like him, and for him to find redemption. And that’s a remarkable achievement, getting us to like (initially, at least) someone so unlikeable.

Muhe is backed up by an equally impressive support cast. Sebastian Koch is excellent at playwright Georg Dreyman, idealistic and naïve, who gradually turns against his Communist masters. Martina Gedenck is very good as Dreyman’s girlfriend Christa-Maria Sieland, who owes everything she has to the Communist regime yet, like Dreyman, comes to see its dark side. There’s a real chemistry between these two, and you really believe that they care deeply for each other.

Finally, there are some excellent support turns. Ulrich Tukur, as Muhe’s boss is slimy, political and self-serving - a chilling reminder of the worst kind of people turned out by totalitarian regimes. Thomas Thieme, meanwhile, is suitably unpleasant as Minister Bruno Hempf.

Between them, these four characters create an utterly convincing and compelling atmosphere that really keeps you engrossed in their activities and relationships.

Is it any good?
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The Lives of Others won the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar at this year’s ceremony, edging out the hot favourite, Pan’s Labyrinth. Whilst, personally, I still think Pan’s Labyrinth deserved the award, it’s easy to see why the Academy voted the way they did. The Lives of Others is packed full of their favourite themes – internal struggle, redemption, based around real life events etc.

Lives should be commended for its superb atmosphere. It really conjures up the sense of poverty of the old East German state. Although external locations are fairly limited (most of the film takes place inside Dreyman’s flat), they are impressively realistic. Dirty, squalid, graffiti-ridden buildings, low standards of living and roads populated by the old East German favourite, the Trabant. It’s a pain-staking recreation of the East Germany as it was twenty years ago, and you really believe in the environment which is created, which, in turn, draws you into the film.

Equally impressive is the sense of fear that the Stasi and the German government generate. Although we see few people other than the main characters, those we do see are fearful of their lives, watching constantly, yet seeing nothing that might incriminate them. It’s a scary and sobering portrayal of a police state and again, helps convince you that all this is real.

The storyline, though simple, is incredibly gripping. Whilst not much happens in the traditional sense, it’s packed full of interesting insights into the East German state and how people lived under the strict regime. The atmosphere is tense and claustrophobic and, thanks to the excellent acting, you are often on the edge of your seat, wondering what is going to happen next.

The direction from von Donnersmarck complements the on-screen action, bringing an intense, moody and somewhat suppressed atmosphere to the whole film. Never overly flashy, the calm, understated direction adds to the sense of tension and contributes to the gripping atmosphere.

If all of this sounds a bit heavy, don’t worry. Whilst the subject matter is quite dark, the film also delivers a wonderfully understated humour at times (witness the scene in the lift between Wiesler and the small boy). It’s also full of humanity and, despite its brooding atmosphere, hope.

Mention must also be made of the sub-titles, which are sometimes off-putting for some. Sensibly paced and well synchronised, they give you plenty of time to read them, without hanging around on screen when the actors have stopped speaking! They are very readable, so you’re not going to give yourself eyestrain trying to see them! For the most part, they are well translated either providing a direct translation of what is being said or (where it’s a colloquial expression) translated in such a way that it is meaningful in English, whilst capturing the spirit of the original German.

That said, the film isn’t without its problems. For a start, it’s not hugely original. The idea of a dedicated follower of a totalitarian regime slowly beginning to question his ideals has been done time and time again. A more serious problem lies with the fact that the motivation for Wiesler’s gradual change of heart is a little vague and ill-defined. It’s never really made explicit why there is suddenly has such a massive change in his attitude, and this does undermine the character’s credibility to a small degree. It would have been more interesting and thought provoking to explore this area a little more thoroughly.

The film is also a little over-long. Coming in at nearly two hours twenty minutes, it feels a little stretched towards the end. The problem particularly relates to the “epilogue”, which essentially follows what happens to the characters after the film’s main events. Whilst the ending is an excellent and uplifting one, it’s just a little bit drawn out. Certainly, at the screening I went to, a lot of the audience was becoming a little fidgety by this point. Chopping around 20 minutes off the running time would have made the film a better experience.

These, though, are fairly minor quibbles. For most of its running time, Lives is a gripping, exciting and thought-provoking piece of drama. Packed with superb acting, it’s a bleak, unsettling, yet ultimately human story.

Conclusion
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Probably the best German language drama since Wolfgang Petersen’s submarine saga Das Boot.

Basic Information
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The Lives of Others (Das Leben des Anderen)
2006
Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Running time: approx. 137 minutes
Rating: 15

Trivia
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The film was a magnet for awards. In addition to the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, it won over 30 other awards and was nominated for a further 10.

© SWSt 2007

Summary: A superb drama and a welcome change from overblown blockbusters