The Lives of Others

A powerful but quiet film, constructed of hidden thoughts and secret desires.

To watch "Lives" is not just to enjoy a fabulously constructed timepiece; it's to appreciate a deft cautionary tale.

The easy, complacent distance that informs much historical filmmaking is almost entirely absent from this supremely intelligent, unfailingly honest movie.

It convincingly demonstrates that when done right, moral and political quandaries can be the most intensely dramatic dilemmas of all.

The skillfully acted and directed The Lives of Others is a timely warning about governments that seek to repress dissent.

This is a teasingly complex political thriller, but it's also a sort-of romance.

The Lives of Others wants us to see that the Stasi -- at least some of them -- were, like their Gestapo brethren, “just following orders." You can call that naive optimism on Donnersmarck's part, or historical revisionism of the sort duly lambasted by the current film version of Alan Bennett's "The History Boys." I, for one, tremble at the thought of what this young director does for an encore.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

One of the greatest movie ever made. Wonderfully Crafted and acted. Masterpiece!

Best film I've ever seen. It was in my head for days after seeing it at the cinema. I couldn't stop thinking about it, I kept picturing that ending. Absolutely amazing and a breathtaking ending scene. By now you've probably heard that a lot. Believe it. It deserves the attention. It's a perfect drama. The movie of our times.

One of the best powerful and in the same time quiet movies I've ever seen. It's wonderful how the film is surrounded by the analogy between the hidden desires and the secret police that controlled everything in the communist bloc. Did the captain want to hide his feelings under those excruciating interrogatories when he was capable of annihilate on the mental health of the suspect, or he became like that in a slow process of finding the true virtues of humanity? I think this is the main question the director asks himself, should we create our new beginning?

Not sure what all the fuss is about, yes it is a good movie but not great. If you want a movie about East Germany I prefer Der Tunel. Das Leben der Anderen is not a bad movie don't get me wrong and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good foreign flick, but I have a hard time trying to see what separates it from being just a good movie and into a GREAT movie as most people claim. Ulrich Tukur plays a great hero/villain and the final line of the movie really puts its stamp on a good film, nothing more nothing less.