East Berlin, November 1984: Five years before its downfall, the former East-German government ensured its claim to power with a ruthless system of control and surveillance. Party-loyalist Captain Gerd Wiesler hopes to boost his career when given the job of collecting evidence against the playwright Georg Dreyman and his girlfriend, the celebrated theater actress Christa-Maria Sieland. After all, the "operation" is backed by the highest political circles. What he didn't anticipate, however, was that submerging oneself into the world of the target also changes the surveillance agent. The immersion in the lives of others--in love, literature, free thinking and speech--makes Wiesler acutely aware of the meagerness of his own existence and opens to him a completely new way of life, which he has ever more trouble resisting. But, the system, once started, cannot be stopped. A dangerous game has begun.
Production Arte [fr]; Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR) [de]; Creado Film [de]; Wiedemann & Berg Filmproduktion [de];
Cast Names Martina Gedeck; Ulrich Mühe; Sebastian Koch; Ulrich Tukur; Thomas Thieme; Hans-Uwe Bauer; Volkmar Kleinert; Matthias Brenner; Charly Hübner; Herbert Knaup; Bastian Trost; Marie Gruber; Volker Michalowski; Werner Daehn; Martin Brambach; Hubertus Hartmann; Thomas Arnold; Hinnerk Schönemann; Paul Faßnacht; Ludwig Blochberger; Paul Maximilian Schüller; Susanna Kraus; Gabi Fleming; Michael Gerber; Fabian von Klitzing; Harald Polzin; Sheri Hagen; Gitta Schweighöfer; Elja-Dusa Kedves; Hildegard Schroedter; Inga Birkenfeld; Philipp Kewenig; Jens Wassermann; Ernst-Ludwig Petrowsky; Manfred Ludwig Sextett; Kai Ivo Baulitz; Ralf Ehrlich; Klaus Münster;
Box Office EUR 10,043,534
Release Date 2006-09-03 (Telluride Film Festival) 2006-11-12 (Denver International Film Festival) 2007-02-09 (limited)
Genres Drama;
MPAA Rating [?] Rated R for some sexuality/nudity.
Running Time 2 hr. 17 min.
Director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Lives of Others, The Reviews
Comments to date: 1. Page 1 of 1. Rating:
I'm usually turned off by sub-titled films but this was definetly worth it.