The Lives of Others DVD Review
Director Florian Henckel von Donnersmark Reveals the Stasi
From 1950 to 1990 the German Democratic Republic, or East Germany, was watched by perhaps the most chillingly efficient secret police force ever created, the Staatssicherheit or Stasi. For a country of 16 million, the Stasi officially employed 274,000 or more individuals in the course of their reign. As many as 5 million civilians are estimated to have been informants of varying degrees. This film lover is no mathemetician but believes that means nearly 3 out of 5 citizens were spying on their neighbors. Wrap your head around that kind of paranoia. It’s nearly impossible to fathom.
Stasi, The Sword and Shield of the Party
The film’s story certainly feels very real although it is not on the record as being based on an actual case. Director Florian Henckel von Donnersmark has done an astounding job even handedly presenting yet another wart on the history of the German state. The face of the Stasi von Donnersmark introduces the audience to is Captain Gerd Weisler stoicly played by Ulrich Mühle.
Captain Weisler is presented as one of the Stasi’s most effective interragators and surveyers. He even instructs the future generation on how to spot alleged enemies of the State. Weisler is eventually tapped to spy on a popular playwright Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch) and his actress girlfriend Christa-Maria Sieland (Martina Gedeck).
Dreyman is a good Socialist and has even been honored by the State for writing neutral or non subversive material. However, the Minister of Culture Bruno Hempf (Thomas Thieme), believes Dreyman may be too good and orders him to be placed under full surviellence so that he can be brought down. Such surviellence is part and parcel of the Stasi and normal for a society where loyalty is questioned at every opportunity.
The Lives of Others Entice the Sword and Shield
As the movie progresses and more is revealed about the characters and the world in which they live, it is clear that change is coming. Weisler becomes ever more questioning of his allegiences although von Donnersmark brilliantly masks this. Weisler is captivated by the lives of Dreyman and Sieland. Weisler's life is bland and empty in comparison . Weisler lives alone in a bland environment and hires prostitutes for some semblance of intimacy whereas Dreyman and Sieland, in spite of problems, are truly in love and have a real connection to each other.
The lives that Dreyman and Sieland lead cause Weisler to recognize their innocence and realize that he is responsible for pushing Dreyman against the wall and causing him to act out against the State. From this revelation Weisler eventually does his best to cover up Dreymans‘ anti-State actitivities in his reports. The way this great risk unfolds and the latter consequences will stun you. Nothing happens quite how you expect and that is what great film-making is all about.
A Recommendation for The Lives of Others
Florian Henckel von Donnersmark has crafted an engaging film. The Stasi is yet another part of a very difficult German history. It is refreshing to see a German tackling the aftermath of such experiences. While this film can be a bit slow moving, it is a rich tapestry of human experiences that we here in America have been fortunate to thus far avoid. We must learn of these organizations of the past so that they can be recognized and answered for now and in the future. The Lives of Others is available on DVD now and defnitely a film you don’t want to pass up.
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