Once a week we’re taking underrated films and giving you reasons to watch. Each one is hand-picked, of a different genre, and easily accessed and enjoyed. This week, one of my favourite films of all time: ‘The Lives of Others’ (2006).
SYNOPSIS: In 1984 East Berlin, an agent of the secret police, spies on a dramatist and his lover, and becomes fascinated by their lives.
Five reasons to watch:
1) The Ending
Obviously I can’t say too much as to what the ending is, so as not to spoil the film, but this is without a doubt one of the best endings I’ve ever seen. Few films make me cry every time I see them but this…this really does something. It’s understated, and subtly shows that humanity transcends any political barrier that divides us.
2) This is a DEBUT feature!
Something I cannot get my head around: this was the first feature film directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. It’s an incredible feat given, in my opinion, it’s near-perfect. Unfortunately Donnersmarck has failed to make anything of note since (the less said about ‘The Tourist’ the better), but as far as first features go, this one’s certainly one of the most assured of all film history.
3) The Berlin Wall
Films depicting what life was like, during the era in which the Berlin Wall still divided one of the greatest cities in the world – none come close to ‘The Lives of Others’ (though ‘Goodbye Lenin’ and ‘Bridge of Spies’ are of note). The first time I saw this, back in 2007, I was fairly shocked by what I saw. Having visited Berlin a couple of times now, the era of the Berlin Wall has clearly left as big a mark on the city as World War II did.
4) The Character Arc
For me, the lead character’s arc – completely shifting his worldview – is one of the most quietly affecting in film history. Again, I can’t say too much without giving away some spoilers, but the performances, writing, and direction reward the audience throughout, and as the Stasi officer gets more and more entangled in the lives of the writer and his lover, the film gets more and more tense. Given that when the film opens we find the Stasi officer to be one of the most by-the-book and unlikeable characters in a film, it’s no small feat that by the end you’re rooting for him, concerned even, as to whether he will make it out alive.
5) The Political and the Personal
This film is about every political viewpoint ever, even those in between or unconcerned, and it handles it with great compassion and precision. Every character feels vivid and real, there is no overt bias, every perspective is treated with dignity and respect, making this one of the few “political films” ever made that don’t feel like propaganda or heavy-handed message movie.
TRIVIA
– The entire budget of the film, about 2 million dollars (1.6 million Euro), was possible only because the actors were willing to work for 20% of their customary salary.
– All the listening/recording props used in the film are actual Stasi equipment on loan from museums and collectors. The props master had himself spent two years in a Stasi prison and insisted upon absolute authenticity down to the machine used at the end of the film to steam-open up to 600 letters per hour.
– Ulrich Mühe, who plays a Stasi Officer, lived in East-Germany as a stage actor during the period depicted in the movie. Just like one of the characters at the end, Mühe once read his personal Stasi file, and found out that some of his fellow actors had been (involuntary) informants to spy on him. When asked how he prepared for his role as a Stasi officer, Mühe simply replied, “I remembered”.
– Ulrich Mühe, the tormented Stasi officer, died of stomach cancer a year after the film was released, aged 54. According to Florian Henckel von Donnesmarck, the original cause of the stomach problems that eventually led to cancer was the anxiety he suffered during the period when Mühe was a conscript in the East German military. Assigned to patrol the Berlin Wall, he had – like all East German border guards – shoot-to-kill orders for fugitives trying to escape to the west, though, as far as is known, he never killed anyone.