Film of the Week #65 - The Lives Of Others

Karl Hungus

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0405094/

This is an absolutely incredible film that takes place in East Germany during the 80's when it was still under communist rule. Really a must see.

Discuss.

faceman

Fantastic film. Its one of those rare films that feels like it got it right in every category, the performances, the score and the cinematography. Its no Werner Herzog but its a good indication that the germans can still make good movies!

I love the subtle noirish feel to the film

Unfortunately it has been pegged for a US remake

johnny_ultimate

I think its great, but on second viewing I thought the flaws were a bit more obvious. A major problem is that it gets a bit melodramatic and OTT towards the end -

the whole sequence where the girlfriend gets killed springs to mind

. Aside from that, it is a very well made thriller, with some interesting acting, characters and history. It is definitely better than this years Oscar winner The Counterfeiters (which I felt was really disapointing) anyway!

Karl Hungus

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

A major problem is that it gets a bit melodramatic and OTT towards the end -

the whole sequence where the girlfriend gets killed springs to mind

.

You think so? Jesus, that hit my like a tonne of bricks! :eek:

Jello

Karl Hungus wrote: »

You think so? Jesus, that hit my like a tonne of bricks! :eek:

Same!

An amazing and gripping film, with a fantastic performance from Ulrich Mühe among others. It's a compelling story, and von Donnersmarck does a great job of giving us much more than just a history lesson.

johnny_ultimate

Karl Hungus wrote: »

You think so? Jesus, that hit my like a tonne of bricks! :eek:

Thinks its more because I didn't like the way her character developed. For the second half of the film, she turned into a really unlikable, moany person and I didn't really feel much sympathy towards her, despite her trials and tribulations. Of course, her betrayals are all a central part of the story, but except for dramatic resonance, she lost a lot of depth as the film progressed. Her death felt like a cheap end for her weak character. This is only a very minor criticism, though, and the rest of the characters definitely make up for this - in particular the Statsi 'God in the Machine' character.

Sad Professor

One of my favourite films of recent years. It really crept up on me on my first viewing. I sat down not knowing what to expect and was deeply moved by the last 30 minutes. There's a wonderful subtlety to the character of Wiesler and Ulrich Mühe's performance, something which I expect will be absent from the Hollywood remake. The ending is perfect imo.

spurious

Fantastic film. I was in the DDR around the time this is set and they really captured the time - even down to the style of coats and clothes.

nacho libre

...shame about the death of Ulrich Mühe shortly after the film was released:(