The Lives of Others

Surprisingly amazing.

The Lives of Others takes place in 1984 East Germany and tells the story of "Operation Lazlo", a surveillance effort led by Stasi officer Gerd Wiesler (Ulrich Muehe) to collect evidence against the highly regarded and otherwise state trusted playwright Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch) and his girlfriend, the talented actress Christa-Maria Sieland (Martina Gedeck). This is the debut feature-length film by director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

Acting, be it on or off-stage, is a recurring theme in the film. Von Donnersmark also explores concepts such as motive and existence in subtle ways. Acting, photography and music are good, however directing truly stands out thanks to a story-line that keeps you engaged until the very end.