The Lives of Others (2006) R - 3½ Stars

German with English subtitles, this is a get under your skin movie. The more you view,, the more you are sucked into this tiny world of voyerism. The acting is good and you feel as if you are spying on the couple as well.

Capt. Gerd Wiesler (Ulrich Mühe) is an agent for the East German Secret Police, "Stasi". His job is to investigate anyone who might pose a threat to the state. Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch) is a play write and Capt. Gerd has recently seen his work and starts taking a closer look at Georg to see what skeletons lie in his closet. Christa-Maria Sieland (Martina Gedeck), is Georg's girlfriend and while Gerd taps into their conversations and private moments, he learns a lot about the couple. Little do they know that Gerd has his secret surveillance equipment right in Georg's attic.

After months of surveillance, Gerd has learned Georg is a one of the few real loyal citizen. But when he also finds out the Christa is being blackmailed to have sex with a higher up in the Stasi, his loyalties change. Gerd is so caught up in the lives of Georg and Christa than he posts an anti-establishment piece in the newspaper that gets the government all riled up. His beliefs in the Stasi changes and he yearns to live a life like the two he has been studying.

Awards include:

2007 - The Lives of Others - New York Film Critics Circle - Best Foreign Film
2007 - The Lives of Others - Ohio Film Critics - Best Foreign Language Film

Sony Pictures
Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Writer: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Producers: Quirin Berg, Max Wiedemann

I viewed 10/07