Das Leben der Anderen (2006)

Lives of Others

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the announcement by the East German government signifying the end to the socialist GDR regime and the start of the destruction of the Berlin Wall.

For most of us it’s hard to imagine what it’s like living under a government hell bent on forcing an ideal on its people. Today we acknowledge big brother but not in the privacy of our homes. We think it crude not to have a say in who represents our communities at a local through to national level. It’s hard to imagine a politician taking away your right to express yourself through art or to be told what is acceptable to read and watch. For the citizens of East Germany it was all too real only two decades ago.

Das Leben der Anderen (Lives of Others) is set in a drab 1984 where we observe the life of a Stasi agent, Gerd Wiesler, as he spies on others. He is renowned for his interrogation skills and his loyalty to the party is unquestionable. He is a proud and intelligent man who teaches at the Stasi University and carries out field work with a precision reserved for Swiss watches. A deliberate man, he lives alone and has very few interests outside of work. With his straight spine and piercing eyes he observes and reacts with a calculated soldier like efficiency.

When his superior and old friend, Anton Grubitz, becomes obsessed with advancing within the Stasi hierarchy he quietly disapproves. Anton drags him along to a theatre performance where Wiesler observes Georg Dreyman and Christa-Maria Sieland, a power couple working as artists with the blessing of the GDR. Through unfounded suspicions Georg is placed under surveillance which results in every inch of his apartment being wired. Wiesler is tasked with finding something, anything, to discredit Georg. … read the rest, see our rating and a video!