The Lives of Others

Awesome German-made movie set in the 1980s East Berlin. The plot follows a play write and his girlfriend, a leading actress. The main character, however, is a Stasi captain assigned to watch them.

This is definitely a movie worth watching. The film portrays the police state for what it is and the politicking that goes on when such apparatus are in place.

The main character, the Stasi man, is an idealist whose life revolves totally around his devotion to the state and his belief that his job is to protect its security. His idealism towards the state comes into question, however, when he sees the actions of the GDR's leader and his own superior officer.

During his surveillance of the couple, he begins to understand and empathize with them.

The movie is all about this man's journey and change of heart. It is extremely well done and the actor who plays the Stasi man (Ulrich Muhe) does a beautiful job of showing character and emotion without words.

This movie is definitely high on the list of great films and is well worth the watch. There is some brief nudity and the movie is in German with English subtitles.