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The Lives of Others

The Lives of Others

2006
Drama
Suspense/Thriller
2h 17m
At once a political thriller and human drama, The Lives of Others begins in East Berlin in 1984, five years before Glasnost and the fall of the Berlin Wall and ultimately takes us to 1991, in what is now the reunited Germany. The film traces the gradual disillusionment of Captain Gerd Wiesler, a highly skilled officer who works for the Stasi, East Germany's all-powerful secret police. (Sony Pictures Classics)
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The Lives of Others

2006
Drama
Suspense/Thriller
2h 17m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 76.15% from 6732 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(6732)
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Rated 22 Dec 2007
95
96th
The lives of others is a very well crafted and constructed story. It is very intense and towards the end becomes heartbreaking. Ulrich Muhe was absolutely fantastic as Wieler, I decided to look up what else he has done but the man passed away may he rest in peace. Donnersmark does wonders, people say it was too long, but I really loved the pacing, and some of the shots were great, but Muhe definitely steals the show with an incredible performance. Great Film!
Rated 21 Jan 2015
2
11th
very bland film about omnipotent surveillance in east germany, as if directed by ron howard's german twin. contains numerous concocted scenes in which an initially compliant spy listens to some sad conversations through his tape recorder, and consequently learns some important life lessons. and so do we: All Men are Good On The Inside, and only do Bad Things because of The System.
Rated 08 Aug 2009
10
98th
Very well made and a wonderful directorial debut. The pacing is great and the characters are interesting and fun to watch. I love the ending and did anyone else think Ulrich Muhe looks like Kevin Spacey? Go see it!
Rated 13 Apr 2008
95
96th
This film shows how frightening living behind the iron curtain must have been, with an intensely paranoid and uneasy atmosphere throughout. While the relationship between the playwright and his lover is believable and moving, it is the gradual change in the man assigned to spy on them that is most affecting, thanks to Ulrich Mühe's wonderful performance.
Rated 25 Apr 2007
35
19th
The story is stiff and clunky and hopelessly simplistic. The characters are underdeveloped and appear to reverse their states of mind with robotic berevity. For a movie supposedly dealing with subjects of moral and psychological complexity, it doesn't seem to have much knowledge of how humans feel or act. The big ending felt gratuitous and the final scenes morally questionable. It winning an Oscar is just another stain on what I already see as a murky award.
Rated 12 Jan 2010
84
86th
Definitely a great story, and Muhe is absolutely fantastic--I mean it's a damned shame he died so young. I had been expecting, more considering the acclaim that it has, but it is by no stretch bad. That ending was really satisfying--one of the best endings I've seen in a long time.
Rated 23 Jan 2008
80
60th
While The Lives of Others is well acted and deals with unique subject matter, there's something about it that feels disengaging and leaves you a little bored throughout nearly the entire movie. It's hard to say what the problem really is, because every objective aspect is so well done in the film, but for some reason it's hard to connect to it and ultimately it leaves you uninterested to an extent. It's a highly acclaimed movie, so it's easily recommendable for you to make up your own mind.
Rated 16 Oct 2014
5
98th
Say what you like about the GDR but they made the prostitutes run on time. With the conversation a long-time favourite, and my recent stint working Arstotzkan border controls, this was right up my straße. Achingly sad until the slightly softer ending. Brilliant.
Rated 17 Jul 2009
78
67th
The film has layers upon layers of backroom dealing and hierarchy going on, but it manages to juggle all its subject matter with gravitas; it is never confusing or obtuse. HGW's conflict with the reality of socialism (the abuse of power from on-high) and his ideal of socialism (in the first few scenes) is a fantastic catalyst to the film's unfolding. Unfortunately, the ending does seem too neat and tidy, as if that is the only way the conflict can possibly be resolved.
Rated 28 Jan 2020
72
72nd
This movie tells its story. *shrug
Rated 08 Mar 2007
95
94th
This film is almost perfect up until the end, when it starts to falter a bit. The climax feels a bit too convenient, and most of the denouement (which is remarkably similar to the end of In the Mood for Love), doesn't sit right with me. But then the brilliant final scene comes along, and I forget all about those things.
Rated 16 Jan 2009
83
80th
Well structured and deliberately paced with a nicely escalating level of tension and emotion. Mühe puts in a finely nuanced performance, but the script doesn't sufficiently convey what was special about this case for him. The ending was a little overexplained, dilluting some of the intensity and power generated with subtle touches earlier.
Rated 12 Aug 2014
100
99th
"People don't change" exclaims a cynical East German bureaucrat after viewing a theatrical performance at the beginning of this film. He knows a threat to state security when he sees one. He decides to wiretap the director's apartment. In effect, the apartment becomes a stage. Because the audience is out of sight, the lives of the artists who reside there become true-life performance. This film examines exactly how people, do indeed, change. The story and performances will leave you in awe.
Rated 22 Oct 2009
65
46th
It ultimately delivers with a pitch-perfect ending, but its a pretty daunting test of patience in order to enjoy the whole thing. I wish Wiesler had been given more material to convince us of his motivations; his performance was clearly the stand-out part of the movie, and its incredibly sad to hear that the actor passed away.
Rated 17 Oct 2011
90
93rd
A brilliant, well-executed, intense, and brilliantly acted drama featuring a politically charged plot.
Rated 11 Dec 2013
60
19th
Saying this is better than 'The Conversation' is a travesty, the movies are hardly comparable aside from a primary character being in the field of surveillance. Nonetheless, a pretty good film, though I found myself entirely apathetic about the characters. It was also well shot, so that's something.
Rated 18 Mar 2007
91
91st
Though nothing stands out as particularly remarkable, the overall experience is intense. The pacing gets iffy toward the last 20 minutes or so, but up until then it's hard not to get absorbed into this intelligent film. The hierarchical way in which information and perspective is handled is clever and makes the drama all the more intense.
Rated 03 Aug 2007
95
85th
Fantastic all around, possibly the best German film of the last ten years. Sebastian Koch, Martina Gedeck and the late Ulrich Muehe are among the best German actors of their generation, and the supporting cast is great as well. The atmosphere is perfect, the huge success this film enjoyed in Germany is proof of that.
Rated 07 Sep 2010
86
93rd
A bit emotionally distant, which suits the story perfectly. Interesting throughout. Mühe's turn away from the Dark Side comes a bit quickly, but it's fascinating to watch nonetheless. And damn, I could look at miss Gedeck all day.
Rated 29 Jun 2010
94
96th
If I were to pick a movie that most resembles the spirit of George Orwell's "1984", it would certainly be this one.
Rated 05 May 2007
68
20th
Technically a pretty good movie. I wish the director knew anything about the subject though... Like many other recent movies from Germany - it was simplistic and left me in a "the director is making fool of me" state.
Rated 29 Nov 2008
94
91st
One of the best German Movies in the last years. It's unbelievable to see how easy those "spy's" got into the houses of people to broke their privatphere. It show's the dirty face of the communism. If it was so damn easy 25 years ago..imagine what might be possible with today's gps and satelite system.
Rated 18 Apr 2018
70
69th
Historical significance must be a big part of the acclaim. It starts out fantastic, mühe is the perfect stasi-robot. And then he quick-turns on behalf of some pillow talk and piano music. Right. In all his years of spying on people, that's a first. It's not a bad movie, performances and execution are good. But the plot progression is implausible and the dialog ridden with 'let's spell it out for the dumb people'-lines. "How can anyone be a bad person after listening to this?" Ough.
Rated 01 Nov 2008
60
46th
The film has a very interesting idea. But I thought it lost along the way, will become soulless.
Rated 20 Jun 2008
90
33rd
I am tempted to give this film a sub-par rating for its optimistic, sentimental finish. However, the film manages to remain true. It must be considered good! This was a fine example of incarnating a common human experience in a new story. Though I am unsure of the path we took to reach this resolution, I am wholly satisfied without feeling cheated. Above all, the film was able to exert its powers by taking an otherwise slow plot and breath life into it by establishing real characters.
Rated 14 May 2009
3
31st
Man am I not getting what people see in this.
Rated 27 Jun 2012
15
43rd
Rated 27 Apr 2012
85
76th
There is no doubt in my mind that this was a great film. That being said there were a few problems that stopped it from being one of my favorites. Definitely worth checking out though, as there are superb performances from every actor, and the conclusion is very touching (even if it leaves the audience with a few questions).
Rated 21 Jan 2010
76
66th
I really want to like this movie more than I do, but some of the dialogue is so trite and literal (particularly the scene where the Stasi man listens in on "Sonata for a Good Man" and the question is asked aloud: "Can anyone who heard this music--really heard it--be a bad man?") that it loses some big points with me. It isn't nearly as moving as it could be with a bit more subtlety. It has all the makings of an excellent film, but it suffers from easy morality in a tidy package.
Rated 27 Sep 2009
85
96th
A really moving depiction of DDR, with good guys on both sides.
Rated 06 Jul 2018
85
91st
Excellent drama about the crazy spying on your neighbour that went on in East Germany before the wall came down.
Rated 31 Jan 2011
82
91st
Should have ended with Dreyman telling the cab driver to keep going.
Rated 31 Jul 2010
9
90th
Although tightly plotted, well detailed and wonderfully performed, I found its dramatic tension to be a bit too schmaltzy, probably the reason for it winning over Pan's Labyrinth. I mean seriously, hit by a bus ? At least Mühe's tranquil, extraordinary performance and its message about free will in an oppressive society sat right with me. A very good film, but far from the masterpiece it's being hailed as.
Rated 17 Jan 2011
70
72nd
I'll echo most sentiments and claim that the ending is great, but I was never fully enraptured by the story. It's a pretty good film, but I must have missed whatever makes it so spectacular.
Rated 26 Jul 2008
100
98th
Restrained, quiet but incredibly powerful drama about surveillance in Communist East Germany.
Rated 08 Mar 2016
70
41st
The direction is plain to the point of boredom, but the screenplay is pretty cool in its complex, novelistic structure, even if it's a bit obvious about its themes at times. Didn't blow me away, but it's a good story.
Rated 15 Mar 2007
77
57th
Good despite being slightly longer than the Cold War itself.
Rated 08 Jan 2010
89
80th
Excellent film that observes what happens when a lonely officer of the secret police make a moral choice,
Rated 05 Aug 2011
90
85th
The Lives of Others plays with the idea of the Observer Effect, which (say it with me) states that simply by observing a subject, the subject is changed. More specifically in the context of this film, by observing the subject, the observer changes, which moves him to intervene and change the subject. It's a really interesting idea, and pulled off really well. I've heard this film being compared with The Conversation, which is fair, but I think that The Lives of Others is much more effective.
Rated 24 Dec 2013
100
99th
so brilliant! so subtle yet moving! the characterization, the performances, the directing, the writing, the set, even the title! one of the best exercises i've seen in character development. i'll be thinking about this one for a while, just trying to decipher how it did what it did so effortlessly - good thing i have to see it again for another class in a week! definitely, DEFINITELY up there at least in my top 5 films, if not THE best film i've ever seen.
Rated 03 May 2008
90
84th
Slow, but rewarding. It's interesting to see the eavesdropper fall for the people he's spying, gripping those headphones for the next scene in their lives. The moment he approaches the woman at the bar was the turning point for me, that's when the film finally won me over. An intelligent movie with an outstanding lead performance.
Rated 29 Nov 2010
88
77th
very nice
Rated 08 Mar 2009
9
90th
Seriously, one of the best movies of the decade. I love the ending.
Rated 09 Jul 2009
80
74th
started on a promising note,kinda flagged in the middle, but then picked up the pace again and ended quite well
Rated 21 Jul 2014
81
79th
Lovely and sad.
Rated 16 Jan 2012
90
94th
I rather simple yet emotionally powerful film. Ulrich Mühe is wonderful as the man who actually believed in what the Socialists were doing in East Germany, but through some interactions with power hungry and greedy bureaucrats plus his eavesdropping on some rebellious artists he begins to change his viewpoints. It's a truly rewarding film and well worth a watch.
Rated 26 Jul 2013
84
93rd
Very well made film, well acted, with a good soundtrack, a realistic and intense atmosphere and an interesting story. The final act is the best part of the film and the ending is simply fantastic.
Rated 09 Nov 2011
90
97th
This movie in my eyes is near cinematic perfection. German cinema has always had its share of good movies, but this one ( along with das boot) stand out for me. Gripping story telling, top notch acting , intense atmospheric scenes, clever writing... A tad bit better than der Untergang, also released at about the same time. A must see for anyone who is a fan of cinema.
Rated 29 Jun 2011
80
88th
A beautiful movie which everyone should see. I've been to a stasi camp in Berlin, and the movie is very accurate. I remember our guide saying a lot of stuff that also happened in the movie, although you don't see a lot of "torturing". The movie shows the ruining-of-lives-part of the stati's daily routine. A tragic, but beautiful tale.
Rated 19 Jun 2017
75
65th
Top badass moment? Being a German movie it had absolutely no humour in it whatsoever, except the world's two most unfunny political puns. It fact it's about as fun as a penalty shootout between England and Germany. I appreciate that its subject matter doesn't offer a lot of openings for a great deal of slapstick or many fart jokes, but this golden opportunity to stereotype a whole nation is just too good to miss and thus is badass, very un-PC but badass. No cats, chainsaws or decapitations.
Rated 08 Nov 2011
86
94th
Perfect for someone who enjoys a cold war setting. It's not exactly a war movie, it just happens to take place in Berlin during that divide. I love the way the story develops, and you see a real change in the main character's feelings as he starts to sympathize with people who are supposed to be his enemies. The whole ordeal is a sort of great humanizing process, making war less faceless.
Rated 19 Jul 2009
70
75th
A good movie but has a few weird editing decisions throughout that made me uncomfortable. The acting was superb but the side changing of the main character wasn't that well established..
Rated 31 Jan 2011
73
42nd
Great directing, great acting and very very tense in some places. However it took forever to get to some points and really dragged on. Ever see that Eddie Izzard joke about European films full of people opening door's and going "What is it Sebastian, I'm arranging matches!"? That is excactly what this movie feels like. A sort of, "Room With A View To A Pond And a Staircase"-type of movie..
Rated 20 Jun 2008
81
69th
Kind of like The Conversation in East Germany. A little bit predictable, and I didn't really buy Weisler's transformation. But, it's a fine film, if not particularly mind-blowing. I thought it struck a good balance between the political and the humanistic. It could have ended 15 minutes earlier, without the whole epilogue/coda part. But then again, the final moment is a nice one.
Rated 15 Jan 2008
85
94th
Donnersmarck dabbled about with this flop before proceeding to make his masterpiece 'The Tourist'. Wait...
Rated 08 Jul 2009
89
84th
Excellent film that nonetheless gives me mixed feelings. For example, I didn't find HGW's actions to be organic, rather than just some writer's idea of a complex character, even though I grew to love HGW. The rambling, drawn-out ending irritated me, even as it produced some thought-provoking moments and a conclusion that deeply satisfied my emotions. No mixed feelings about this though: the film was compelling throughout, with a great story & phenomenal acting.
Rated 08 Mar 2007
83
79th
Great stuff, weakened a little by a disproportionate ending. The Oscar was not undeserved.
Rated 27 Oct 2011
20
41st
"Catnip to audiences who never heard of The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum." - Fernando F. Croce
Rated 26 Apr 2016
50
19th
Horrifying to contemplate even the idea of surveillance like this, let alone that it was everyday life for millions, for decades. However I don't see the film accomplishing anything that a book, documentary, etc. couldn't.
Rated 14 Mar 2010
98
93rd
Almost flawless.
Rated 08 Jul 2009
60
37th
I know I'm supposed to like this, but I hate being spoon-fed emotional attachment.
Rated 13 Jun 2008
92
98th
Great
Rated 18 Jan 2009
70
26th
Pretty impressive piece of cinema. Movie starts off in 1984 before of the fall of the Berlin Wall, on a Stasi (German Secret Police) agent, who is asked to track a playwright and monitor his daily life. Speaking anything more about the film kind of spoils the rest of it so. I thouroughly enjoyed this film, but I can't recommend it if you aren't into dramas or whatnot. For those of you who are, check it out.
Rated 14 Apr 2010
87
88th
Excellent drama with good pacing upto the end. The casting is absolutely perfect and the acting is superb. One of the best foreign language movies I have seen.
Rated 05 Oct 2011
72
36th
This a good movie. But its also a portray of a pretty horrible point of view of the world. Donnersmarck is a prick and his debut marks a crafty but sad climax of the german rehabilitation of the DDR. Systems are people and you can't have a single, useful discussion without a little empathy. But this is just a "You suck - we are better"-preaching to the chior-yelling, financed by bavarian taxmoney!
Rated 28 Mar 2009
72
69th
Fine German engineering strikes again.
Rated 16 Dec 2011
90
95th
What can I say. A must see. Another jewel from German cinema.
Rated 28 Apr 2011
82
45th
Powerful, moving.
Rated 14 Jul 2008
86
95th
Excellent filmmaking. Characters who touch you, and make you feel for them. Very recommended viewing.
Rated 08 Mar 2014
85
44th
Interesting story of a man that dedicated his life to hear the life of other people, surrounded by politicians and mixed love affairs.
Rated 20 Dec 2007
95
92nd
A wonderfully constructed story that put the oppression of East Germany as the cold war was entering its final stretch into moving personal terms. The script by von Donnersmarck is a feat of expert narrative construction, precisely pulling together its plot elements and moving characters along their individual paths with careful consideration for the ways in which every decision carries a lasting impact, every small move has the possibility of changing a whole worldview. A wise, measured movie.
Rated 09 Aug 2008
72
78th
Yeah, this is how you want to make a movie.
Rated 07 Jun 2008
90
66th
Succeeds as a drama but works as a high-tension thriller. Eat that, Bush.
Rated 18 Jul 2020
74
30th
Well, this just screams "adequate", doesn't it? The film is undoubtedly well-made, but it's a shame such a potentially incendiary subject received such a milquetoast treatment.
Rated 12 Jul 2020
10
96th
The Lives of Others looks wonderful, a drab gray man in a drab gray country, and is full of understated, very realistic acting. Also kinda sad, so it's really my type of movie.
Rated 09 Feb 2016
77
92nd
Rated 26 Dec 2007
81
78th
null
Rated 03 Feb 2010
89
84th
In theory, the scenes might seem a little slow, but it's well paced and manages to be extremely compelling even in its quietest moments. Ulrich Muhe successfully carries a lot of emotional weight as the protagonist, despite barely saying a word in his most pivotal scenes.
Rated 17 Sep 2007
90
98th
One of the best german movies in the past years. It deserves its oscar. The performance of Ulrich Muehe is stunning, sadly he passed away in 2007.
Rated 02 Sep 2010
82
62nd
Although the plot is slightly contrived and the human element doesn't quite work to cleave apart the concerns of the state machine on its own terms as fully as it good, this is a cracking film full of romance, drama and tension.
Rated 18 Nov 2011
90
71st
Modern day take on News International hacking scandal.
Rated 16 Dec 2008
90
52nd
Good, unusual take on the Nazi genre. Interesting, well made film. Plus it has Nazis.
Rated 17 Nov 2010
84
77th
A bit too reliant on the wide-angle lens for some reason, but this is a relatively effective surveillance film, but focuses less on paranoia and tension, and more on emotions. I really loved the ending, it was a perfect sign-off for Ulrich Muhe.
Rated 14 Mar 2013
90
90th
It's a shame that I have such a typical American prejudice against watching foreign language films and that it takes me this long to check out the ones I get intrigued by watching the Oscars. So it only took me about 6 years to sit down and watch this movie - I hope it changes the pattern. This is a great film, very well acted and touching. The lead actor especially does a fantastic job of making a believable 180 degree journey and drawing an audience in.
Rated 12 Nov 2018
96
95th
"It's for me." The last line deeply moved me!
Rated 21 Aug 2009
10
0th
Amazing.
Rated 26 Jan 2009
82
86th
Very well done and acted. Though I found it in the beginning slow and the epilogue unnecessarily extented. Good story and well executed mood of time.
Rated 05 Apr 2008
70
81st
thoughts will linger after this film; maybe needed a bit more editing, but the weight of the theme is hard to translate into scenes; scary in too many ways
Rated 28 Jan 2010
81
73rd
Good acting and great directing. The story is a bit unimpressive and the ending stretched to eternity.
Rated 29 Apr 2009
95
83rd
An excellent character study. The ending is great.
Rated 26 Feb 2010
90
97th
An extremely moving and involving film that is very informing about the situation in the DDR(although not %100 realistic, but it portrays the same message. Life was actually harsher in other circumstances). Great acting. Includes interesting thought about humanity and what makes a good person, "ein guter Mensch"
Rated 11 Aug 2009
80
70th
Made me want to cry, in a way that slowly creeps up on you.
Rated 13 Nov 2007
90
67th
It was really good idea to make story from the opposite site of the imaginary barricade. It shows us that there where also people on the other site with sense for goodness at least after they found out the right face of the communist regime.
Rated 08 Jun 2014
80
89th
Endlessly intensive, brilliantly plotted and wonderfully acted. Excellent work in every capacity.
Rated 09 Jun 2019
100
84th
Hey everybody, socialism is cool man, cuz like, everybody's equal and stuff. Oh, except for being afraid to talk, or think, or express any opinion that might not entertain the powers that be. Oh, and your life can be destroyed by a bureaucrat, and your life can also be observed whenever the state wants to. Okay then, there are some drawbacks. But hey man, free education!
Rated 13 Jul 2009
88
86th
As many have said, great pacing and tense directing, with a well-constructed story and acting. However, the ending is too convenient and a little trite, and the epilogue is far too long and over-explanatory. Other than that, though, a wonderful film.
Rated 09 Jun 2008
90
98th
"i am your audience." - An absolutely brilliant piece of cinema.
Rated 13 Aug 2012
71
57th
Tragic story about the loss of the Individual in the communist surveillance state.
Rated 30 Oct 2022
83
67th
An excellent small-scale political drama with a smart script and an incredible lead performance. Slightly downrated because the main big tragic moment is kind of melodramatic and dumb
Rated 23 Oct 2010
97
99th
Everything about this film is spot on; the direction, pacing, script, music and acting are all superb. The result is a thoroughly captivating and powerful film that is difficult to forget. Ulrich Muhe somehow stands out in this already stellar film, as he gives one of the best performances I've seen in any language. I can't wait to watch this one again

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