Went to see the Oscar-winning film The Lives of Others the other night and was very impressed. It’s a film about the Stasi, the East German secret police, and a cautionary tale to anyone who believes in a surveillance society and a “If you’ve got nothing to hide” attitude. Having not studied mid-20th century history, the story of East Germany is still one I’m not hugely familiar with, so the story, about a Stasi agent who becomes obsessed with one investigation, was an eye-opener.
The lead, Ulrich Mühe, reminded me of Kevin Spacey in Se7en. I agree with Bernard’s review (which I also recommend), including his reflection that the end is a little on the long side but worth it. Go and see it now.
Thanks for the plug.
I see what you mean about Muhe/Spacey, on a related note I spent the whole film thinking that Sebastian Koch (Dreyman) looked like a thin Ray Winstone (albeit one that could act).
Haven’t seen the film – and it closes at my local Arthouse cinema on, erm, 3rd May, so I may not get an opportunity to do so, but it does look interesting.
I lived in the former GDR for six months as part of my French/German degree, and it was a fascinating experience in retrospect but a miserable one at the time. For the whole of my year abroad, both in Germany and later in Paris, I spent an obscene amount of time going to the cinema, and in my brief and unacademic foray into German cinema, I got the impression that German cinema is much better than French cinema, but far less widely appreciated, particularly in the UK.
Not that I’ve seen very much German film at all since leaving Germany, however.
Still got a soft spot for Til Schweiger, whose stock in trade now seems to be bit parts in Hollywood films in order to win over the German market for the European release.
Where can I see “The Lives of Others” in Norfolk?Is there an Arts Filmcentre in Norfolk?