Wednesday, May 23, 2007 7:44:13 PM | (Age Not Specified)
The Lives of Others is an intimate look at the consequences of a country caught inside a trap of totalitarian surveillance. I say "intimate" because the maker of this film dares to personalize de-personalizing interactions between people on either side of the despotic divide - watcher or watched. But if this were merely what the film was about, it wouldn't be worth watching. The premise of the story is simple enough: take one character who is slavishly loyal to "the system" and then push that loyalty to the limits of human tolerance. The result is a powerful and gripping tale that poses a very important question for us all: what price freedom and just how far would you go in defence of it?
Saturday, March 3, 2007 6:22:12 PM | (Age Not Specified)
My wife and I visited east Germany in 1978 when the communist party was still in power and the gap between the east and west parts of Germany was at its most extreme. We visited relatives in east Berlin and Dresden and ran into the state police(Stazi) several times as we moved through the country and neglected to register our new address as required. This movie perfectly captures the paranoia and fear that her relatives lived under and the terrible consequences that a remark or mistake could have on their lives. DM, Oakville
Friday, March 2, 2007 3:46:46 PM | (Age Not Specified)
I saw this film at the Toronto International Film Festival and after the credits rolled, the audience erupted into a very well deserved standing ovation. A masterful screenplay, terrific acting and terse direction account for The Lives of Others as my pick as the best film of 2006.
