The other reviews sum it up nicely but I just wanted to say that this story is gripping from start to finish and really leaves you thinking. I loved the ending too, its perfect. I won't give too much away but this film is about a Stasi spy in East Germany who listens in on a writer and his girlfriend. As time passes by he becomes involved in their lives through listening...he begins to question the socialist regime he serves and in doing so saves the life of the writer. Watch it, you won't be disappointed.

I'm studying A Level German and today we finished watching the film, having watched it over several lessons. I was always reluctant to stop watching, when the lesson ended and now I'm buying a copy of my own. Reluctant to leave lessons, buying films we've studied, it's unheard of for me! But this film is that good...
I wasn't impressed by the idea when our teacher first put it to us, as I don't care for thrillers. The film is also in German, with subtitles. Yet, from beginning to end, I was hooked. I'd never have looked twice at the film normally and I'm glad we had to study it.
Two notes of caution for prospective viewers. One, the plot is very political and becomes very complex at times, although enthralling, with a large number of characters to keep track of, made even harder because you have to read the dialogue. Two, there are some sex scenes, which although brief, are quite graphic.
Don't let this put you off. The 15 rating is about right and adults and older teens should enjoy this film a lot.

A thoroughly absorbing film set in the bleak backdrop of a nation divided not only by a wall but by a regime so obsessed with its self existence it had to rely on the efforts of its own people from every profession to 'spy' on the activities and movements of every individual, regardless of whether they posed any threat to a regime so immersed in its communist ideal. The real beauty of this film for me, above all else, is that it is so untypical German. I say this because it really packs an emotional punch and although we see the film begin with an examination of interrogation techniques so typically associated with the 'cold war era' the film moves tensely but patiently into a group of actors, actresses, playwrights, poets and Directors doing very ordinary things. These were not Capitalists desperate to free themselves from a regime; these were just 'artists' wanting to express their art on an everyday level. So here I think lies the conflict for the authorities. How could or should they deal with this group of people? These were not an underground resistance, they were just artists with a passion for books, music and film and because they did not overtly conform to the 'normal' way of thinking they were deemed a dangerous appendage on German Society. As the film gathers momentum we begin to almost will the Stasi officer Wiesler played by Ulriche Muhe (who himself was spied on for many years) to tell Dreyman (played by Sebastian Koch) that he need not worry because he has an Angel literally over his head. Muhe seems to almost enjoy the cat and mouse confrontation with his superior who can only worry about his own promotional prospects by 'digging some dirt' on Dreyman, who happens to be living with a drug dependant girlfriend Christa-Maria Sieland '(who is secretly conducting an affair with a party official in return for drugs and a long acting career). Muhe is torn between what he knows he should do but also with what he feels he should do and after being drawn in by the music of Beethoven he begins to embark on a dangerous and incredibly tense journey to do something, even if it is to his own detriment. I was so moved by this film that I watched the final 15 minutes again and again, to think that the Stasi files gathered on all the individuals over so many years, would, if stretched run for over 100 kilometres we begin to understand exactly how meticulous and paranoid the regime actually was. Regardless of all the underlying political message this film is a triumph on every level, beautifully crafted, intelligently written and set to the wonderful sounds of Gabriel Yareds musical score (better known for Talented Mr Ripley) I urge everyone to watch this film and enjoy it as much as I did. Vorsprungduch Technik as they say in Germany!

Life in the GDC (The German Democratic Republic, aka East Germany) was constantly a spied and closely watched one, with the Stasi Force ensuring that everybody was in line. The character's turnaround in this state dictatorship country is mesmerizing, and will prove to you why The Lives Of Others was one of the best films of 2007. In this tense psychological thriller, this subject- which I admit was relatively unknown to me- is seen through the eyes of a Stasi interrogator/follower Gerd Wiesler, who spies on the life of a suspect (playwright Georg Dreyman) and his girlfriend. It's only through this experience that he realises what his life misses- emotion, passion and love.

This film is well worth watching, despite having to read english subtitles, unless your german is very good, the film remains extremelypowerful and moving. Well worth watching!

What a film! When it beat Pans Labyrinth for the Best Foreign Film at the the Oscars, I thought, it must be bloody good. I loved every scene, every line, every bit of acting, and simply everything about it. 5 stars is the worst you could rate this piece of work. If you love your films and have to think a little, this is a must watch. Even after the end credits have rolled up, you'll be discussing it or privately reflecting over the 140 minutes you've just witnessed, and you'll be thinking, "wow!"
I could go on about all aspects of this film, but I think it is just best you watch it and enjoy the journey it takes you on.

I went to watch this following my favourable impressions of Downfall, The Edukators and Goodbye Lenin. German cinema has certain flourished of late.

What followed was an incredibly moving two-and-a-quarter hours.

The film captures in exquisite detail the agony facing those who monitored their fellow citizens for the Stasi. It is a fine illustration of the fact that no-matter how withdrawn and neutral someone can try and be, it's often difficult to completely de-humanise them and detach them from the human tradgedy unfolding before them.

Without wanting to give too much away of the (superb) plot, it revolves around an artistic, cultured couple who fall under the suspicion of the Stasi for their supposed 'western' sympathies. The plot ebbs, flows, jumps and dives through a weave of intrigue and betrayal, but never loses site of it's ultimate message - that common humanity is difficult, nigh-impossible to suppress.

The score and filmography are both of a very high standard. East Berlin is reminiscent of the way it was (and actually, in many ways, still is) and the settings all convey a sense of gritty realism, a clausterophobic atmosphere of fear and worry of constant observation. A scene in the work canteen is acted out with chilling lucidity, as a young employee dares to make an ill-mannered joke about the Party Leader.

The casting is inspired, with sterling acting throughout - particular mention must go to the late Ulrich Muhe, who stars as the Stasi operative in question. His excrutiating dilemna is almost heart-rendingly palpable through the screen, such is the level of his performance. The film is also sadly poignant in that it runs quite strange paralells with Muhe's own life, in which he was supposedly monitored by his wife, an alleged Stasi collabarator.

Overall, it is easy to see why The Lives of Others walked away with the Best Foreign Film Oscar, even at the expense of the sublime Pan's Labyrinth. Often at the Oscars, the best film fails to win its category - in this case an exception can certainly be made.

I had heard of this film through a Guardian article. Whilst initially reluctant to view a foreign language film (aren't they always second rate?), I made an exception for this one. I am so glad that I did. From the outset this film draws you in to the murky depths of the STASI and how one man's life is changed forever, from an assignment requested from on high. The central characters are wonderfully drawn and played with real conviction. When you expect the film to take you one way, it cleverly takes another. The tension is played right to the last second and you find yourself moved and entertained at the same time. It is sad that since the film was made the central character actor has died, as I am sure that he would have made many other fine films.

Nonetheless, if you enjoy thrillers and clever, involving plotlines, then I urge you to seek out this film. It has a chilling tale but is a truly wonderful piece of film-making: you will not be disappointed.

When Pan's Labyrinth lost out on the best foreign language Oscar to The Lives of Others, I knew there had to be something really special about this movie.
Watching it, I was quickly sucked into the paranoid environment and became immersed within the characters lives in a way I didn't expect; as the tension of covert surveillance mounted and the risks became higher I was relishing every second of this ingenious thriller - but then, from nowhere, the movie starts throwing emotional curveballs and every one was a direct hit that left me shaken, upset, uplifted, inspired and astonished. An amazing film. There's nothing else like it.

my boyfriend and i went to see this film at the cinema after reading rave reviews....i sat silently through a film that moved me more than any other film....incredible warmth and talent of the actors....the stasi officer in particular shone for me in this....and YES i believe we should have sympathy for a man who tried to fight the system he had bought into, because the alternative was unthinkable, but was so cruelly treated by people he thought were friends and colleagues. hollywood blockbusters with their gazillion dollar budgets and actors who think they're more important than the film or the message the film is trying to portray - you have a lot to learn from the simplistic beauty and raw emotion in this film. watch this....you won't regret it, i promise.