The Lives of Others Examines Cold-War Germany

Don’t let the subtitles turn you off — The Lives of Others is one of the best movies that came out last year. The winner of the Best Foreign Language Film from last year’s Academy Awards, it’s a harrowing drama set in cold-war-era East Berlin. The Stasi spy on everyone they suspect of plotting against the government, and one such member named Wiesler is tapped to spy on the playwright Georg Dreymen.

What starts off as a look at a facist policeman’s techniques turns into a character study of someone we usually have trouble relating to. As Weisler learns more and ore about Dreyman and his life by spying on him day and night, he begins to sympathize with him. It’s then that the line between right and wrong, between private and public, become blurred. It’s one of the best looks inside the oppressive world of cold-war Germany, and one that shouldn’t be missed.

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