The Lives of Others - DVD Review

****

Big Brother as the ultimate voyeur is not remarkable in the course of human history.
Though Orwell’s 1984 warned about the evils of big government, and currently everyone’s all freaked out about the Patriot Act, saving our own skin for the sake of a philosophical/political belief, is not a new occurrence. Spying on one another and ratting out friends and family predates even Judas. And, during the darkest period of the Dark Ages folks regularly turned over entire groups of people to the Inquisitor. In our country this despicable act has names like The Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism. But, it is compelling to watch this unfold as human drama and the German film, The Lives Of Others, lets us be the voyeurs to this loathsome practice.

In East Germany, before the fall of the Berlin Wall, Gerd Weisler (Ulriche Muhe) is a captain in the Communitists’ secret police; the Stasi. His superior (Ulrich Tukur) orders him to install surveillance on Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch), a celebrated playwright who lives with the beautiful actress Christa-Maria Sieland (Martina Gedeck). While secretly listening in on the two, Gerd becomes addicted to the events in their lives. Gerd, a strict party man, leads a drab, solitary existence and while listening to these two he learns about love, relationships, corruption, power, deception and betrayal, and a metamorphosis takes place. He hides incriminating evidence and falsifies official records to help Georg and Christa, but eventually they are found out and him with them.

This Cold War political thriller that revolves around the state’s control of people’s lives is an intensely human drama that leaves one with the complete appreciation of the evils of communism. The script is subtle which leads to a feeling that the film is a tad long. But, the cast is superb and writer/director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s touch is deft giving the film an atmosphere that creates an almost intense claustrophobia.

In the directors comments von Donnersmarck remarks, “As a young boy, I found it interesting and exciting to feel the fear of adults during our visits to East Berlin. My parents were afraid when they crossed the border…and our friends from East Germany were afraid when others saw that they were speaking with us.” That fear of being watched, judged and juried out of sight is conveyed so well in this film that it won an Oscar for Best Foreign Film last year. The Lives Of Others is must see film.