The Lives of Others
The most impressive aspect of the screenplay for The Lives of Others is not its stimulating and rich dialogue, but its creative use of a cinematic staple……the voyeur. In the same fashion as Hitchcock’s quintessential classic Rear Window, von Donnersmarck has the story’s central protagonist a prying observer. However, much different from Stewart in Rear Window, von Donnersrmarck’s character of Agent Wiesler is a professional spy who relies mainly on his auditory sense rather than visual. Instead of directly mimicking Hitchcock, The Lives of Others takes a refreshing course where we see a man’s life altered not through sight, but through the countless hours of listening to Georg Dreyman via wire taps. This adds an element of sincerity to the changes we see within Wiesler and makes the underlying themes of the screenplay all the more powerful.
There are so many strong performances in The Lives of Others that is hard to give just consideration to all in the limited space provided for this review. However, we would be remiss if we did not mention the brilliance of Ulrich Mühe as Agent Wiesler and Sebastian Koch in the role of Georg Dreyman. Mühe’s portrayal of the conflicted Stasi spy/interrogator tips the audience’s emotional balance through the use of subtle human expressions rather than grandiose theatrics. Meanwhile, Koch is a perfect compliment to Mühe, exhibiting the strength and passion of a man destined to inspire those around him. (On an aside, Koch practiced four hours a day for six weeks to perform the piano piece entitled Sonata for a Good Man in one of the film’s most powerful scenes.)
Winner of the 2007 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year, The Lives of Others comes out of the shadows and into American homes with a relentless vigor. The Lives of Others does not find its power by illustrating the brutality of the GDR regime, but by giving us a window into the human soul.