Some are revolting, some comical and others are frightening. In the slums of Rio, two kids' paths diverge as one struggles to become a photographer and the other a kingpin. Gerd Wiesler is an officer with the Stasi, the East German secret police. The film begins in 1984 when Wiesler attends a play written by Georg Dreyman, who is considered by many to be the ultimate example of the loyal citizen. 138. I would be paid in GDR money to use during further visits. So, I purchased this film with the hopes of rewatching a great film and hearing the language. Directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. After he becomes a quadriplegic from a paragliding accident, an aristocrat hires a young man from the projects to be his caregiver. Modify Series Recording. I will just consider it a challenge for my vocabulary, but given that most Americans speak only English, you will be disappointed if you purchase this, expect English subtitles, and you don’t understand any German. The Lives of Others subtly evokes a vindictive society that exists by turning citizens against each other in the interests of national unity and collective security. But the movie also sends the message that the power of art and passion can transform a life. 119 of 136 people found this review helpful. The Lives of Others subtitles. How does Dreyman know when he sees the red thumb print on his file that Wiesler saved him? The Lives of Others is one of my favourite types of books: a multigenerational family saga set in an unfamiliar locale in which I can learn about how other people live; their social customs, food, clothing, education, etc. The Lives of Others Germany Production: A Buena Vista Intl. The more time he spends listening in on them, the more he comes to care about them. A filmmaker recalls his childhood when falling in love with the pictures at the cinema of his home village and forms a deep friendship with the cinema's projectionist. They didn’t know each other, and never would. Trailer. And with its thematic parallels to the Bush administration's domestic wire-tapping policies, it crackles with immediacy. This is a tremendously powerful film, & is now high on my list of favourites. "The Lives of Others" is set in Communist East Germany in 1984. Berlin: ‘Fauda’s’ Laetitia Eido Joins Period Series ‘Nhiem’ (Exclusive), Sebastian Koch & Paula Beer Topline German-Language Adaptation Of Hit Series ‘Your Honor’, Venice Critics’ Week New Head; Lionsgate UK Departures Continue; BBC Studios Cuts Pay Gap – Global Briefs, Top 100 Movies as Rated by Women on IMDb in 2016, The Top 200 Movies as Rated by Women on IMDb in 2018, The Best Foreign Language Thriller (1996-2016). Select the department you want to search in. The Lives of Others is at once a political thriller and a human drama. Two women gave birth on the same day in a place called Come By Chance. The Lives of Others is a sophisticated meditation on suffering that invites empathy for characters who embrace violent ideologies as a result of injustice without ever vindicating the horrific violence they commit. Buy. Drama, Thriller, History. Near the end of my visit, she asked me if I would work for them regularly by writing my opinion of "GDR Review" and its suitability for readers in the West. I quietly … Continue reading The Lives of (Us and) Others → The once rigid Stasi officer begins to intervene in their lives, in a positive way, protecting them whenever possible. Rent/Buy. (in Germany)/Sony Pictures Classics (in U.S.) release of a Wiedemann & Berg Filmproduktion production, in … Congratulations on a well deserved Oscar! His life slowly gets better as he finds love and receives good news from his son, but his new luck is about to be brutally shattered by an innocent little lie. The Lives of Others Two women gave birth on the same day in a place called Come By Chance. After being kidnapped and imprisoned for fifteen years, Oh Dae-Su is released, only to find that he must find his captor in five days. Eventually, Wiesler's activities catch up to him and while there is no proof of wrongdoing, he finds himself in menial jobs - until the unbelievable happens. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 22, 2019. It begins with Wiesler teaching a class in the theory and practice of interrogation; one chilling detail is that suspects are forced to sit on their hands, so that the chair cushion can be saved for possible use by bloodhounds. Set Parental Lock. I watched it twice in 48 hrs, & although I was profoundly moved by the first viewing, the second made even more of an impact, revealing nuances I hadnot fully appreciated originally. They didn’t know each other, and never would. The Lives of Others is a masterfully plotted historical and fictional drama that never bores its audience with mediocre side plots that add nothing of substance. Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2020. Top subscription boxes – right to your door, © 1996-2021, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. .is not suitable for our use due to his apparent connection to the police in his homeland." The more time he spends listening in on them, the more he comes to care about them. --- Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. “The Lives of Others” is haunted by a piece of music called “Sonata for a Good Man,” composed for the film by Gabriel Yared and, at the same time, … For me "The Lives of Others" is an authentic representation of that totalitarian state. The Lives of Others is a sonic as well as emotional ride, from the psych outro of DRB Hudson to the unmissable hooks and walking-in-Paris lope of The Third Level and the rush of Rosedale Redux, where Hopkinson and Kent set the scene for electric guitars that are as beautiful and brutal as anything from ’93. Use the HTML below. Sign in to see videos available to you. In 1984 East Berlin, an agent of the secret police, conducting surveillance on a writer and his lover, finds himself becoming increasingly absorbed by their lives. This movie depicts life in East German in the early to mid 1980's, under the rule of a dictatorial state. Mathilda, a 12-year-old girl, is reluctantly taken in by Léon, a professional assassin, after her family is murdered. Get a sneak peek of the new version of this page. Besides duffles stuffed with clothes, he brought a four-foot tall brown plastic dresser, a television, a PlayStation console, 20 of 24 cans of Coors Light and a bottle of whiskey that he placed on his bedside table. In his debut feature, German auteur Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, has created a masterpiece of world cinema. The Lives of Others is a 2006 German drama film written and directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck marking his feature film debut. The film centers on the East German Ministry for State Security, which is a secret police known as the Stasi, created by the German Democratic Republic (GDR) in an attempt to maintain its power and protect the survival of Socialism in East Berlin. The events depicted are horrible and tragic. "The Lives of Others" is a fantastic film. Check out our gallery of the 2021 Oscar nominees in the leading and supporting acting categories, as the characters they so brilliantly played and in real life. View production, box office, & company info. The Lives of Others is set in 1984 East Berlin, five years before Gorbachevs “glasnost” policies, and the fall of the Berlin Wall. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Memories of the 70's and 80's visits in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) flood my mind while watching this film. Everyone is at each other’s throats. Search for "The Lives of Others" on Amazon.com, Title: The Lives of Others D irected by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck . Lindsay Jones. This Lives of Others is a brilliant film, it shows how the East German security service commonly known as the Stasi, kept the citizens of the DDR under observation in various ways, for example by bugging apartments, phones and reading the mail of "undesirable" elliments, indeed the East Germans relied on informants, both paid and unpaid to spy on their family, friends and aquaintances and in "The Lives of Others" one of these informants commits suicide by stepping into the path of an on comming truck, fearining that her betrayal would be reveald. Germany, 2006. Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. "), I always had a sneaking suspicion that that was an attempt by the Stasi to recruit me.Years later I applied to see my "Stasi File". Rent. THE LIVES OF OTHERS is a human drama about the ability of human beings to do the right thing, no matter how far they have gone down the wrong path. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 29, 2016. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. When an open-minded Jewish librarian and his son become victims of the Holocaust, he uses a perfect mixture of will, humor, and imagination to protect his son from the dangers around their camp. After politely refusing this "offer" ("The police at home might not like it! Half a century later, their children made a shocking discovery. It stars Ulrich Mühe as Stasi Captain Gerd Wiesler, Ulrich Tukur as his superior Anton Grubitz, Sebastian Koch as the playwright Georg Dreyman, and Martina Gedeck as Dreyman's lover, a prominent actress named Christa-Maria Sieland. (2006). A man with short-term memory loss attempts to track down his wife's murderer. However, there are no subtitles whatsoever on the disc. 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.The Lives of Others ( (DVD)) The Lives of Others. In 1984 East Berlin, an agent of the secret police, conducting surveillance on a writer and his lover, finds himself becoming increasingly absorbed by their lives. But at the same time, bittersweet. garykmcd. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. 79 wins & 38 nominations. Watch Options. Synopsis. Written by A sole survivor tells of the twisty events leading up to a horrific gun battle on a boat, which began when five criminals met at a seemingly random police lineup. Original Title: Das Leben der … The Lives of Others is an equal joy to watch aesthetically, shot expertly by Hagen Bogdanski and dressed with an artful drabness by production designer Silke Buhr. Gerd Wiesler is an officer with the Stasi, the East German secret police. Rentals include 30 days to start watching this video and 48 hours to finish once started. In this book, set in the late 60's, we meet the Ghoshes -- three generat Gedenkstätte Hohenschönhausen, Hohenschönhausen, Berlin, Germany. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 16, 2019. Which Country Will Win the 2018 FIFA World Cup? ... movie and after it won an Academy award for Best Foreign film, Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2015. THE LIVES OF OTHERS Das Leben der Anderen. The films chronicles the slow transformation of a loyal officer of the Stasi (the East German secret police) and how his eavesdropping on a young couple leads him to reconsider his whole way of life. Half a century later, their children made a shocking discovery. The Lives of Others A somewhat sad story set in the grey world of late Communist East Germany, where the security forces ('Stasi') keep watch over the population for unauthorised thoughts and actions through a network of informants, bugging of telephones and apartments and steaming open mail, using technology like tape recorders and clattering typewriters that are now clunkily out of date. A teacher lives a lonely life, all the while struggling over his son's custody. The Lives of Others Two women gave birth on the same day in a place called Come By Chance. Wiesler has a gut feeling that Dreyman can't be as ideal as he seems, and believes surveillance is called for. One of the best I've seen in some time. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. Another As a student of German, I visited the GDR several times to see pen pal friends. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. The Minister of Culture agrees but only later does Wiesler learn that the Minister sees Dreyman as a rival and lusts after his partner Christa-Maria. Cancel Series Recording. 50 quotes from The Lives of Others: ‘You take away economic security and the whole pack of cards collapses. The Minister of Culture agrees but only later does Wiesler learn that the Minister sees Dreyman as a rival and lusts after his partner Christa-Maria. In 1984 East Berlin, an agent of the secret police, conducting surveillance on a writer and his lover, finds himself becoming increasingly absorbed by their lives. Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch) stars as a playwright who comes under state scrutiny and who smuggles a report embarrassing to the East German regime out of the country. This Oscar(r)-winning thriller (Best Foreign Language Film, 2006) tells the erotic story of an East German couple whose every intimate moment is being monitored by the Secret Police hoping to learn information that could destroy their lives. Synopsis of The Lives of Others Film : The Lives of Others monitors the cultural scene of East Berlin in 1984, during the German Democratic Republic. AKA: Das Leben der Anderen, Життя iнших, Leben der Anderen, Das or The Lives of Others, The Lives of Others., The Lives of the Others. The once rigid Stasi officer begins to intervene in their lives, in a positive way, protecting them whenever possible. The pivotal scene in the magnificent new German movie The Lives of Others--which won … Directed by. The events depicted are horrible and tragic. Restart. Was this review helpful to you? They didn’t know each other, and never would. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 15, 2017. The Lives of Others. "The Lives of Others" is a powerful but quiet film, constructed of hidden thoughts and secret desires. Eventually, Wiesler's activities catch up to him and while there is no proof of wrongdoing, he finds himself in menial jobs - until the unbelievable happens. All of my visits to the GDR and the people I visited were listed in that file. I do not understand the "telephone joke" that Grubitz tells in the MfS cafeteria. The plot is about the monitoring of East Berlin residents by agents of the Stasi, East Germany's secret police. The film begins in 1984 when Wiesler attends a play written by Georg Dreyman, who is considered by many to be the ultimate example of the loyal citizen. I am glad that those times have ended. A Film that Grips from First to Last - Totally Compelling, Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 31, 2015. In 1984, Communist East Germany, every kind of human action is strictly controlled and monitored by the government. A sexually frustrated suburban father has a mid-life crisis after becoming infatuated with his daughter's best friend. I bought this film because I really enjoyed it when it was released, and I also like to watch German language films so that I don’t entirely forget the 4 semesters of German that I took in college. Subscribe. Modify Recording. Video availability outside of United States varies. Stasi Captain Gerd Wiesler is assigned by his superior, Anton Grubitz, to spy on successful playwright Georg Dreyman and the actress, who is also Dreyman’s lover, Christa-Marta Sieland. Wiesler has a gut feeling that Dreyman can't be as ideal as he seems, and believes surveillance is called for. The beautiful, friendly lady in Dresden had been a Stasi informer all the time! The film opens in East Berlin in 1984 with a sequence that alternates scenes from an interrogation with scenes from a training class for aspiring officers of the Stasi, or secret police. I remember one friend looking around and whispering to me in the S-Bahn - just in case one of the many "IM's" (unofficial workers of the Stasi) was listening in.I visited a representative of a magazine for western countries about the GDR and spent one memorable weekend sightseeing with her. "The Lives of Others" is not the espionage action-thriller I had been led to believe it was. Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2017, Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2017. Traudl Junge, the final secretary for Adolf Hitler, tells of the Nazi dictator's final days in his Berlin bunker at the end of WWII. An unusual relationship forms as she becomes his protégée and learns the assassin's trade. One of the best I've seen in some time. Delete Recording. More Actions. But at the same time, bittersweet. "The Lives of Others" is a fantastic film. Check out our editors' picks for the movies and shows we're excited about this month, like Mortal Kombat, "Them," and Stowaway. I will never forget the feeling deep inside me when I read in it: ". Add to Favorites. The East German government spies on artists and other citizens in order to maintain control; effective interrogation techniques are discussed and praised; corrupt officials abuse their power to get what they want and make others fear them. Instead, it intricately examines a Stasi investigator's own humanity, and suggests some rays of hope still shone on their own in the dark recesses of East Berlin. The Lives of Others (2006) is available on Netflix United States. In March, my middle son returned from college with the entire contents of his college room. Travelling or based outside United States? A veteran British barrister must defend his client in a murder trial that has surprise after surprise. It offers us a glimpse of life behind the Iron Curtain of communist East Germany, and the lengths the government went to keep tabs on its citizens. Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Summary: 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. With Ulrich Mühe, Martina Gedeck, Sebastian Koch, Ulrich Tukur. Unlock. Before the Fall of the Berlin Wall, East Germany's Secret Police Listened to Your Secrets.. A tragic love story set in East Berlin with the backdrop of an undercover Stasi controlled culture. After readings a few reviews of this movie and after it won an Academy award for Best Foreign film,I decided to watch it. Rio, two kids ' paths diverge as one struggles to become a photographer and the a! Barrister must defend his client in a place called Come by Chance October 16,.... Powerful but quiet film, constructed of hidden thoughts and secret desires 's best friend discovery! 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