*****
DVD release
Set in East Berlin in 1984, ‘The
Lives of Others’ is a story about a member of the Stasi spying on a playwright
and his actress girlfriend, only to become more and more embroiled in their
lives. At the beginning of the film we meet Wiesler, top spy and general bad
guy, teaching a class of university students by means of a recording which
features him torturing a suspect to obtain information. Upon attending the
theatre later that day with colleague Grubitz, he spies upon the playwright and
is commissioned to spy on him. Setting himself up in the antic above the flat
of the playwright, he begins to listen.
Without such an outstanding cast,
this film could have fallen by the wayside as it is a slow-burner. Nothing ‘decisive’
ever happens – events just build one upon the other as the playwright, Dreyman
(Sebastian Koch) and his actress girlfriend, Christa-Maria (Martina Gedeck) go
about their lives, trying to find a way of expressing their voices under an
oppressive regime. There are no great speeches, just people talking to each
other in very human voices. The relationship between Dreyman and Christa-Maria
is believable and visceral – both love the other but are driven into scenarios
they cannot hope to emerge unscathed from. The best performance, however, comes
from the late Ulrich Mühe as Wiesler. As a character, he doesn’t speak much, so
Mühe has the task of making us understand his changes of heart through facial
expressions, which he does well. Strangely, he provides Wiesler with a kind of
innocence, although his character is probably far from innocent, but this works
as he is listening to a lifestyle of passion and art that he has never
experienced. Mühe has extremely large eyes, that seem to be looking into
himself, as well as out at the audience, asking them what they would do under
such a regime and in such a situation. As a result of the excellent acting on
display, you cannot help but be drawn into the lives of the characters,
resulting in shouting at the screen in the hope that they’ll make it through and
be happy.
There is an unshakeable feeling
of dread throughout, only exacerbated by the key choice of locations.
Everywhere Dreyman goes, he is leered over by large, black statues, and there
is no colour to be found anywhere outside of his and Christa-Maria’s flat.
Wiesler lives at the top of a concrete block of flats, his rooms cold and stark
matching is cold, grey clothes. Dreyman’s flat, in comparison, is filled with
warm yellow light, a melee of books and pieces of paper on top of colourful
rugs. The whole place has a scruffy, yet lived-in and human appeal, something
that his clothes also express.
The film is a long one, and it
moves along at a fairly slow pace, but this only adds to the enjoyment of it –
you are given the time to connect with the characters, to feel their lives. The
final act contains some of the most nerve-shredding tension I’ve ever known and
the last frame’s lingering presence is a heart-breaker.
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