The Lives of Others
A film by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
137 min, In German with English subtitles
WINNER- Best Foreign Film- 2007 Academy Awards
“The
Lives of Others works beautifully, both as a social and
psychological drama and as a taut, tightly wired thriller.”
–Chicago Tribune
–The New York Times
“It's
one of the great moviegoing experiences of the year.”
–Los Angeles Daily News
“A
thoroughly compelling political thriller, at once intellectually
challenging and profoundly emotional.”
–USA Today
At once a political thriller and human drama, The Lives of Others begins in East Berlin in 1984, five years before Glasnost and the fall of the Berlin Wall and ultimately takes us to 1991, in what is now the reunited Germany. The Lives of Others traces the gradual disillusionment of Captain Gerd Wiesler, a highly skilled officer who works for the Stasi, East Germany’s all-powerful secret police. His mission is to spy on a celebrated writer and actress couple.