Das Leben der Anderen (The Lives of Others)

If you’re not familiar with the history of East Germany and the Stasi, this movie is a great place to start. Actor Ulrich Mühe lived in East Germany, so when asked how he prepared for the movie, he simply replied, “I remembered”.

The story takes place in East Berlin, 1984. Playwright and author Georg Dreyman is considered by the government to have pro-Western sympathies (as most intellectuals at the time did), so his apartment is secretly bugged and put under the surveillance of Stasi Captain Gerd Wiesler. The movie examines the subsequent interactions between Wiesler and Dreyman (interactions which are, of course, completely unknown to Dreyman). As Wiesler begins to learn more about Dreyman’s life, he comes to examine (and question) his own.

The movie does an excellent job of conveying the unsettling nature of the constant surveillance and invasions of privacy that the East Germany government imposed on its citizens. The story is captivating and compelling, immersing you in this frightening world that was the reality for many people at the time. Everything about the film is done near flawlessly, from the plot and the acting, to the score and cinematography. It’s definitely one of my favorite films. The film won a number of awards, including the 2007 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. If you’re interested in seeing it, be aware that the film is in German, so you’ll probably need to make use of the DVD’s English subtitles.