AFI FEST

by Ari

The Lives of Others - Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
 
The Lives of Others is an extremely impressive directorial debut, and one of the best films of the year. This is Germany’s official submission for the upcoming Oscars for good reason. There’s a lot to be proud of with this accomplishment, especially for director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. The Lives of Others is the most acutely political film of the year, taking recent events in Germany to make a forceful statement about issues that still concern people today, whether in Germany or America or wherever. Like the best political films, The Lives of Others is focused on building realistic characters who can best convey the story’s theme. Donnersmarck lets the message slowly and gradually develope into something potent and memorable.

This is a very smartly written thriller dealing with issues of oppression, security, and privacy during the GDR’s system of control in 1980’s East Germany. The Stasi was a powerful secret police that employed constant surveillance of citizens they considered to be a threat to their system of government. Like Nazi Germany, they used informers to uncover the secrets of anyone who opposed them. These informers were mostly people blackmailed by the Stasi - people who would do anything to keep themselves safe from the GDR. The film opens with a Stasi officer, Weisler (Ulrich Mühe) lecturing students on the methods of interrogation. Weisler’s method is to keep his prisoner awake for several days, which eventually makes them crack and confess. When one of his students responds to this method as “inhuman”, Weisler looks to his map of the classroom, putting a blue mark by the student’s desk. Later in the film, that student is caught making a joke about Minister Hempf (Thomas Thieme), an ugly situation to be trapped in.

The Minister has informed his officers to really crack down on possible traitors, so Weisler and his superior, Grubitz (Ulrich Tukur), follow a new lead. Weisler suspects that writer George Dreyman (Sebastian Koch) is a danger for the GDR after attending his newest play, starring his beautiful and talented girlfriend, Christa-Marie (Martina Gedeck). People with ideals and intellect generally are. The Minister and Grubitz agree on the new mission, and Operation “Lazlo” begins. Weisler bugs Dreyman’s entire apartment, setting up his station in an empty room at the top of the apartment complex. As he listens in on the couple’s life, Weisler discovers many secrets about the pair, including Christa-Marie’s need for illegal drugs and her affair with the Minister. She offers sex to keep herself safe, something Dreyman is completely unaware of until things begin to boil. As Weisler’s mission progresses, he finds himself naturally drawn into their lives, even admiring Dreyman’s art and respecting his political stance. When Dreyman and his friends start writing an anti-Stasi text for the weekly magazine Der Spiegel, Weisler becomes conflicted between his loyalty to the state and his admiration for his subject. Pressures and dangers occur on both sides, leaving a trail of misery, loss, and blood.

The Lives of Others is an expertly crafted film with excellent performances all around. Ulrich Mühe is tremendous as the conflicted Stasi officer, leading a great cast of some of Germany’s finest actors. Donnersmarck paces the story with a lean and sophisticated structure, never overdoing the message or relying on convenient plotting. This is smart and precise filmmaking by a director with considerable talent.