In Hein's words, "the movie does not depict the 1980s in the GDR", but is a "scary tale taking place in a fantasy land, comparable to Tolkien's Middle-earth."[27]. The more time he spends listening in on them, the more he comes to care about them. Grubitz informs Wiesler that the investigation is over and so is Wiesler's career: His remaining years with the agency will be in Department M, a dead-end position for disgraced agents. A filmmaker recalls his childhood when falling in love with the pictures at the cinema of his home village and forms a deep friendship with the cinema's projectionist. Wiesler has a gut feeling that Dreyman can't be as ideal as he seems, and believes surveillance is called for. A sexually frustrated suburban father has a mid-life crisis after becoming infatuated with his daughter's best friend. Was this review helpful to you? The Lives of Others is a masterfully plotted historical and fictional drama that never bores its audience with mediocre side plots that add nothing of substance. [20] Josh Rosenblatt, writing in the Austin Chronicle called the film "a triumph of muted grandeur. Instead, it intricately examines a Stasi investigator's own humanity, and suggests some rays of hope still shone on their own in the dark recesses of East Berlin. Directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. This is France. Film critic and historian Carrie Rickey believes that The Lives of Others was one of two movies that influenced Snowden's actions, the other being the 1974 Francis Ford Coppola film The Conversation, both being about wiretappers troubled by guilt.[36]. Two years later, Wiesler passes a bookstore window display promoting Dreyman's new novel, Sonate vom Guten Menschen. Superbly cast drama, … Like “Whoever said that time blunts all pain did not quite understand that bluntness can … Taut and intelligent, The Lives of Others was the German nominee for 2007's Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. The Lives of Others is at once a political thriller and a human drama. Best Newcomer Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, Best Screenplay: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, This page was last edited on 7 April 2021, at 12:53. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. Knabe's answer: "But that is exactly the difference. In German. "[14] A. O. Scott, reviewing the film in The New York Times, wrote that Lives is well-plotted, and added, "The suspense comes not only from the structure and pacing of the scenes, but also, more deeply, from the sense that even in an oppressive society, individuals are burdened with free will. She returns home and reconciles with Dreyman. and Sonnenallee. The film centers on the East German Ministry for State Security, which is a secret police known as the Stasi, created by the German Democratic Republic (GDR) in an attempt to maintain its power and protect the survival of Socialism in East Berlin. It illuminates the corrupt system during the communist regime of the GDR. Domestic and global stories that we feel passionate about – from hidden worlds and unexpected experience to real-life tales of love, success and misadventure In a world where ears outnumber people two-to-one, Wolfgang is radio, redefined. "[3] The screenplay was written during an extended visit to his uncle's monastery, Heiligenkreuz Abbey. Germany, 2006. The film's authenticity was considered praiseworthy given that the director grew up outside of East Germany and was 16 when the Berlin Wall fell.[4]. This approach was widely applauded in Germany even as some criticized the humanization of Wiesler's character. That is what did happen in East Germany. Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Written by The film is built "on layers of emotional texture", wrote Stephanie Zacharek in Salon online magazine. Check out our editors' picks for the movies and shows we're excited about this month, like Mortal Kombat, "Them," and Stowaway. In 1984 East Berlin, an agent of the secret police, conducting surveillance on a writer and his lover, finds himself becoming increasingly absorbed by their lives. Unaware of this, Sieland runs to the street in despair and right into the path of a truck. Drama, Thriller, History. Perhaps I was just won over sentimentally, because of the seductive mass of details which look like they were lifted from my own past between the total ban of my work in 1965 and denaturalisation in 1976. In 1984 East Germany, Stasi Hauptmann Gerd Wiesler (Ulrich Mühe), code name HGW XX/7, is ordered to spy on the playwright Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch), who had so far escaped state scrutiny due to his Communist views and international recognition. Like the omnipresent tentacles of East Germany's onetime secret police, "The Lives of Others" grips like a boa constrictor. Both movies are about the morality of surveillance and the questionable reliability of information harvested – and how listeners can be duped and/or can misinterpret raw data. When Clar told her his age, Tracey’s next words came tumbling out: “Where were you born?” “Come By Chance Cottage Hospital,” Clar said. A sole survivor tells of the twisty events leading up to a horrific gun battle on a boat, which began when five criminals met at a seemingly random police lineup. Sieland realises that Dreyman will know she betrayed him and flees the apartment. [20] However, Jenny Gröllmann's real-life controller later claimed he had made up many of the details in the file and that the actress had been unaware that she was speaking to a Stasi agent. Half a century later, their children made a shocking discovery. But I can't listen to music often, it affects my nerves, it makes me want to say sweet nothings and pat the heads of people who, living in a filthy hell, can create such beauty. When an open-minded Jewish librarian and his son become victims of the Holocaust, he uses a perfect mixture of will, humor, and imagination to protect his son from the dangers around their camp. "[17] William F. Buckley, Jr. wrote in his syndicated column that after the film was over, "I turned to my companion and said, 'I think that is the best movie I ever saw. [31], In September 2014, 43 members of the Israeli elite clandestine Unit 8200 wrote a letter to Israel's prime minister and army chief, refusing further service and claiming Israel made "no distinction between Palestinians who are and are not involved in violence" and that information collected "harms innocent people." Search for "The Lives of Others" on Amazon.com, Title: I do not understand the "telephone joke" that Grubitz tells in the MfS cafeteria. Directed by. [40] Mühe's former wife denied the claims, although 254 pages' worth of government records detailed her activities. As he goes through the files, he is confused by the large amount of contradictory information, but as he reaches the final report and sees a fingerprint in red ink, he realises that the officer in charge of his surveillance – Stasi officer HGW XX/7 – had concealed his activities, including his authorship of the suicide article, and also removed the typewriter from his apartment. [34] Daniel Ellsberg in an interview with Brad Friedman on KPFK/Pacifica Radio republished on salon.com stressed the importance of The Lives of Others in light of Edward Snowden's revelations:[35]. How else could this unvarying calculus abouth the worth of one's own kind measured against the lives of others have come about?” ― Neel Mukherjee, The Lives of Others. The 2006 film The Lives of Others (Das Leben der Anderen) is about you; it’s about all of us. It should be reissued now. Dreyman asks the former minister why he was never monitored. Shortly afterwards, Jerska hangs himself. [26], According to German author Christoph Hein, the movie is loosely based on his life story. [2], Released 17 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, marking the end of the East German socialist state, it was the first notable drama film about the subject after a series of comedies such as Good Bye, Lenin! [10], A review in Daily Variety by Derek Elley noted the "slightly stylized look" of the movie created by "playing up grays and dour greens, even when using actual locations like the Stasi's onetime HQ in Normannenstrasse. He was listening to music and recalled Maxim Gorky's saying that Lenin's favorite piece of music was Beethoven's Appassionata. Half a century later, their children made a shocking discovery. The film won the Academy Award for the Best Foreign Language Film of 2006. Surprised, Dreyman searches his apartment, finds the listening devices and rips them off the walls. [32][33], The Lives of Others has been referred to in political protests following the 2013 mass surveillance disclosures. Traudl Junge, the final secretary for Adolf Hitler, tells of the Nazi dictator's final days in his Berlin bunker at the end of WWII. [7], In a 2016 BBC poll, critics voted the film the 32nd greatest since 2000. However, in Hein's opinion the highly dramatized events of the movie bear little resemblance to his life experience, which is why he asked Donnersmarck to delete his name from the credits. "[21] Lisa Schwarzbaum, writing in Entertainment Weekly, pointed out that some of the subtlety in the film is due to the fact that "one of the movie's tensest moments take place with the most minimal of action" but that the director still "conveys everything he wants us to know about choice, fear, doubt, cowardice, and heroism. 79 wins & 38 nominations. "[12][13], Film critic Roger Ebert gave the film four stars, describing it as "a powerful but quiet film, constructed of hidden thoughts and secret desires. Gorky recounted a discussion with Lenin: And screwing up his eyes and chuckling, [Lenin] added without mirth: "[39] Because of this interview, sales of Le Figaro more than doubled. Everything was happening inside, in private". 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