Movie Review : The Lives of Others

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Another in the series of foreign films, is this masterpiece, 'The Lives of Others', a German 2006 movie which details a period of the GDR's(the Communist East Germany's) history. When you see this movie, it affects you and leaves you moved. But when you later on think about the movie at leisure, you see so much more than you initially saw, so many more layers, layers after layer of human behavior portrayed in various states.. A truly touching and intelligent movie...

I don't really know where to start, first the story. The background of the movie is the GDR, where the government had total control over the lives of the common man, with the Secret Police, Stasi keeping track of all their activities. The movie starts with a Stasi Captain, Weisler setting up a house surveillance on a writer assumed to be loyal to the Communist regime, Dreyman. Presumably, the surveillance is to discover any acts of treason Dreyman may be committing, but it turns out the real reason was a Minister trying to get rid of him, to be able to lay his hands on his girlfriend, Christa-Maria.

While listening to the Dreyman conversations, Weisler gets more and more involved in their lives, and realises that Dreyman is in the clear; he actually does believe in the republic (much to the chagrin of his artist collegues who want to rebel against the system). As time goes on, Weisler and Dreyman both become disillusioned with the state of affairs; of how the powerful are able to get away with everything, and while Dreyman plots to write an article against the republic, Weisler does all he can to protect Dreyman and hide this fact. In the end, he even saves Dreyman from the Stasi when Christa-Maria weakens and bails out on him giving out his secrets to the Stasi. In the process Weisler risks his own well being as well as destroys his own career also forever.

The reactions of people in different situations are shown so beautifully and subtly, at times you do not even realise what their actions mean till they are over. The transformation of Weisler is one of the highlights, of how silently without saying much, just hearing what he does, his actions reveal on what the effect of all thats going on is on him. The acting is brilliant, a very intense performance where more is said with the expressions of the face than words.

Christa-Maria, the beautiful and confident actress gives in to her weakness for self preservation at multiple points in the movie. Having an affair with the minister to protect her career, bailing on Dreyman to save herself. Though she is not portrayed to be villainous, sometimes the system does manage to bend you against your will. On the other hand are Dreyman and Weisler, who still are able to exercise their free will, by doing what was in their power to do the right thing. The contrast shows, that even in such circumstances, the free will cannot be buried.

A beautiful slow moving movie. A treat to watch. Its a 4 star.

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