****1/2 – Set in 1984 East Berlin, the 2007 German-language film “The Lives of Others” delves into the consequences that an extreme authoritarian government have on the artistic community and the public in general. Director Florian von Donnersmark and the production team do an outstanding job in recreating the East Germany of the Soviet era, while also maintaining a rich and vibrant visual style. I often find it very difficult to judge the quality of acting jobs done by performers who are working in a language that I do not speak. That is not the case in this film, though, as all the players clearly do an outstanding job, especially the unfortunately deceased Ulrich Mühe, who plays a Stasi captain whose newfound appreciation for art in its many forms is awoken while monitoring the activities of a playwright and his actress girlfriend. While it is rather lengthy (about 2 hours and 20 minutes) and not the most fast-paced film you will ever watch, it manages to stay engrossing throughout. The dialogue is difficult to comment on due to it being in German, and certain nuance may be lost in translation, but the English subtitles were of a high enough quality to do the acting justice, anyway. The movie jumps around a little bit at the end, but that doesn’t detract a great deal from a movie that is an outstanding accomplishment.
Das Lieben der Anderen (The Lives of Others)
****1/2 – Set in 1984 East Berlin, the 2007 German-language film “The Lives of Others” delves into the consequences that an extreme authoritarian government have on the artistic community and the public in general. Director Florian von Donnersmark and the production team do an outstanding job in recreating the East Germany of the Soviet era, while also maintaining a rich and vibrant visual style. I often find it very difficult to judge the quality of acting jobs done by performers who are working in a language that I do not speak. That is not the case in this film, though, as all the players clearly do an outstanding job, especially the unfortunately deceased Ulrich Mühe, who plays a Stasi captain whose newfound appreciation for art in its many forms is awoken while monitoring the activities of a playwright and his actress girlfriend. While it is rather lengthy (about 2 hours and 20 minutes) and not the most fast-paced film you will ever watch, it manages to stay engrossing throughout. The dialogue is difficult to comment on due to it being in German, and certain nuance may be lost in translation, but the English subtitles were of a high enough quality to do the acting justice, anyway. The movie jumps around a little bit at the end, but that doesn’t detract a great deal from a movie that is an outstanding accomplishment.
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