Review : The Lives of Others (Das Leben den Anderen)

1. Production year: 2006
2. Countries:Germany,Rest of the world
3. Cert (UK): 15
4. Runtime: 137 mins
5. Directors: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
6. Cast: Martina Gedeck, Sebastian Koch, Ulrich Muhe, Ulrich Tukur

In 1984 East Berlin, an agent of secret police, Wiesler (Ulrich Muhe), conducting surveillance on a writer Georg Dreyman(Sebastian Coch) and his lover (Martina Gedeck), finds himself becoming increasingly absorbed by their lives.

There is no more fresh film on my netbook yet., so i tried to watch my old movie collection that i've never watched before and with many consideration, at the end i picked lives of others. i have to admit that i didn't know anything about this film previously.

It is funny that i presumed that this film was horror movie.the title showed itself. The title sounded like 'mysterious' thingy. And I know I was totally wrong.

This is a spy-thriller-drama movie. no horror word mentioned haha.

This movie won oscar for best foreign film. When I found out the director behind this film, I got surprised a bit. the director is Florian Henckel von Donnersmack that directed the tourist., film with big star but big 'negative' critics.

Despite it, lives of others is a classy movie. It gives pure suspense. No need of gun-armed fight scene, or thrilling chasing like any spy movie. The tension will arise from a simple conversation, because you will be drawn onto these many character's feeling.

What I like the most is how beautifully the director can connect the spy genre to moral-drama genre. The drama is the heart to this spy film.  It will take your sympathy. I won't tell more, because I think that is a kind of a drama twist,and I don't want to spoil it.
Aside those above, I think this film also tries to tell the audience about how the politic of GDR (German Democratic Republic or East German)  was. This is good for the audience to know more about the history of Berlin Wall.   

With all of those that I've written above,plus Great acting, nice soundtrack (sonata for good man),despite its boring setting,slow pace,and nude scene( I doubt to classify this as minus one,bhaha), I recommend this film to you.

Lives of Others
8 of 10