Set in the 1980s during the waning years of the communist regime a few years before the Berlin Wall came down, The Lives of Others revolves around the gradual disillusionment of a devoted Stasi officer and expert interrogator, Captain Gerd Wiesler (an astounding Ulrich Muhe, left) as he spies on a celebrated writer and his girlfriend, also a well-known actress. The disenchantment starts when Wiesler gets to know the games being played by his superiors. As Wiesler decides to take an unthinkable step, he knows his life is certainly in danger.
"The film is set in the former communist Germany but it asks questions that pertain to people in any country across the world," says Donnersmarck. "It asks the questions each of us face in different situations: In this case, it is -- How do we deal with power and ideology? Do we follow our principles and orders or do we think and act with our hearts?"
One of the biggest hits in Germany, the film has also done very good business in other European countries, and received some of the best reviews in recent months. 'It is the best film of the year,' declared noted critic and author David Thompson in the British newspaper The Guardian. The Los Angeles Film Critics have named it the best foreign language film. It has also won the European Film Award for actor Ulrich Muhe and best screenplay. This is the film that could be a surprise winner beating Deepa Mehta’s Water and three other entries including Pan's Labyrinth. The film opens on Friday in selected theaters in New York and Los Angeles, adding dozens of cities in the next few weeks.
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Set in the 1980s during the waning years of the communist regime a few years before the Berlin Wall came down, The Lives of Others revolves around the gradual disillusionment of a devoted Stasi officer and expert interrogator, Captain Gerd Wiesler (an astounding Ulrich Muhe, left) as he spies on a celebrated writer and his girlfriend, also a well-known actress. The disenchantment starts when Wiesler gets to know the games being played by his superiors. As Wiesler decides to take an unthinkable step, he knows his life is certainly in danger.