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About the Movie
This critically-acclaimed, Oscar®-winning film (Best Foreign Language Film, 2006) is the erotic, emotionally-charged experience Lisa Schwarzbaum (Entertainment Weekly) calls "a nail-biter of a thriller!" Before the collapse of the Berlin Wall, East Germany's population was closely monitored by the State Secret Police (Stasi). Only a few citizens above suspicion, like renowned pro-Socialist playwright Georg Dreyman, were permitted to lead private lives. But when a corrupt government official falls for Georg's stunning actress-girlfriend, Christa, an ambitious Stasi policeman is ordered to bug the writer's apartment to gain incriminating evidence against the rival. Now, what the officer discovers is about to dramatically change their lives - as well as his - in this seductive political thriller Peter Travers (Rolling Stone) proclaims is "the best kind of movie: one you can't get out of your head."
Credits
Director
Screenwriter
Producers
Rotten Tomatoes Movie Reviews
TOMATOMETER
93%- Reviews Counted: 154
- Fresh: 144
- Rotten: 10
- Average Rating: 8.3/10
Top Critics' Reviews
Fresh: The Lives of Others is a powerful but quiet film, constructed of hidden thoughts and secret desires.
Fresh: Its suspense builds on the fragile and nuanced business of emotional rebirth.
Fresh: Of the many things that happen in this surprising, sad and astonishing movie, none is more staggering than Wiesler's evolution from lowly bureaucratic beetle to humanist.
Fresh: Morally complex, beautifully shaded and filled with fascinating characters, this debut film from director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck brings us into a world that severely tests moral fiber.
Customer Reviews
Incredible Film!
I am a college student and I first saw this film when it came to my campus for a special screening of recently acclaimed international films, and as soon as I saw it, it became one of my favorite films of all time. The emotional depth of each of the characters and the evolution of its main character continually astonish me and give me some hope about the fate of humankind in the times we are currently faced with. Highly recommended!
Sprechen Sie Englisch?
How can this dubbed iTunes version have such a high rating? Are all these these reviews based on this dubbed version or what they watched in the theater? If so, it doesn't serve as a truthful reflection of the film since dubbing removes much of the movies tone and human semblance (another person, not the actor in the film, speaking in a different language?). If this movie had been released dubbed no one would have seen it, let alone enjoyed it. Do yourself a favor and get the Blu-ray. You'll be glad you did. Don't support these dubbed foreign films on iTunes. It's xenophobic.
An Excellent Movie!
This is an excellent piece of movie art from Germany. Is is an undoubtful witness of the story not only of the East German state surveillance and security organisation, the so-called "Stasi", but of the dangers of total surveillance in general and the possibilities of every single man and woman to do something against it. It is at least a wonderful movie about the truth and honesty within in everyone of us and the anxiousness about such a system which existed by 1989! And it stands nowadays as a warning of the obvious mistakes of reintroducing surveillance methods in the western world because of getting more alleged security. Great actors and a great story, go rent or buy it! And uh, yeah, they got an Oscar for it!
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- $12.99
- Genre: Drama
- Released: 2007
- © 2006 Wiedemann & Berg Film Produktion GmbH & Co. KG. All Rights Reserved.