The Lives of Others
One of the most deserving winners of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language
film in years, the Lives of Others is an intense, exceptionally well made
examination of life in East Germany. Director Florian von Donnersmarck takes us
to a place both physically and mentally foreign to those of us fortunate enough
to live in a society free from governmental oppression. It explores the amazing
fictional story of a Stasi (German Secret Police) officer who is commissioned to
spy on a leading playwright in communist East Germany. He is faced with a
personal and ethical battle as to whether he allows the playwright to illegally
publish an article in West Germany, as he realizes that the system he has so
valiantly defended may not be all it has appeared. The rest of the film speaks
for itself, and I can do it no justice by dissecting it any further here, it has
to be seen on the screen. Moving performances, and excellent cinematography and
direction make it an experience that one can rarely attain from mainstream
cinema. A must see.
out of ten
Reviewed by Nick Bailey
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