The Lives of Others

You're funny. Balls don't have names

This film blends in a tragic love story with the story of a man who is completely dedicated to his job and country. As the story goes along the man (a respected member of the ever-present government) starts to doubt himself and his duty when a superior crosses the line. I know, that's an awful description and that's ok. It's a movie that is tough to describe without saying too much.

All that said..... I adore this film. The moral dilemma of the member of the Stasi was brewing for much of the movie and finally came to a head near the end. I read that the actor (who died shortly after the film was made) was active in the same community of artists that are a big part of the film. After all, artists usually play a large role in change and that certainly happened here. And finally, the ending. Simply magnificent. This is definitely one of my favorite films of all time.

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Superb movie. A little slow at times, but it's definitely worth the watch!

An important movie, placed in a time so close, in a place so near with a history so scary that every single European should watch.

"The Lives of Others" is a gripping tale about the stifling control of the East German Stasi over its citizenry. The story follows an East German writer and his actress girlfriend. A Stasi agent bugs their apartment and then spies on them night and day. They are under the constant watch of the Stasi and then some unexpected events occurs. I really don't want to give away any of the twists and turns of the story which moves at a leisurely pace but is totally engrossing. The acting is superb and you can't help but like the citizens and hate the officers of the Stasi. The cinematography is mostly gray and depressing the controlling fist of the East German government clearly dominates its people. I really liked the ending. It was absolutely flawless and was accomplished in a fashion I never expected.

A horror story with a happy ending. They should show this film in school...just think some sections of humanity would like to go back and live in societies like this, have we learned nothing from history but then again with the listening devices in our TV's, phones and the prominence of cancel culture, the deceit against basic human liberty is less transparent. These bosses are all the same, corrupt and self serving but give me one that leaves me alone to live my life, than one that interferes with my everyday existence because i don't conform to the ideology.

The original title of the film is Das Leben der Anderen.

This movie seems almost a paradoxical transformation: Gerd, a member of DDR in East Germany, pours his loneliness and his deep discomfort in his delicate work of intercepting a couple (a writer and an actress) suspected of plotting against the government. Spying on them, Gerd catches their desire to live, and becomes "good" all of a sudden. One day we see him teaching students how to conduct an interrogation (for the record: by not letting the accused person sleep for 48 hours he will then confess), and the next day he becomes empathetic with the couple. The movie has a slow pace, and this gives the viewer the illusion of having time to wonder why Gerd took the matter to heart. But it is a deception: the plot actually proceeds incessantly, and new details are added costantly; the course of events leaves no room for twists, even in the final (heartbreaking but not surprising).
It is not a story of political resistance, however: the actress dies after confessing the writer's secret to Gerd himself in an interrogation.
It is a story of personal resistance: Gerd fights against the demons in his head, against his sense of loneliness, monotony and deep discomfort; in a scene he begs a prostitute to stay a little more with him, but she laughs and goes away saying that the next time he will have to pay more to make that happen.
7.5/10

Excellent movie about the human nature.