Denied the option of MAFIOSO tonight, I hit the Kendall for THE LIVES OF OTHERS with my sister. I'd been very keen on seeing this before the Oscars, but, well... It's like I told In just before the film—I thought that PAN'S LABYRINTH was robbed in the best foreign film category at the Academy Awards this year. Y'know, that's me, having seen LABYRINTH and absolutely adored it. I told her this movie had a lot to live up to.I was not disappointed.
East Germany, 1984. The Berlin Wall yet stands, and the State Police, the Stasi, is ever vigilant against those who would denounce their socialist government or attempt to escape their German Democratic Republic. When stage actress Christa-Maria and GDR-loyal and favored playwright Georg Dreyman are personally targetted by a corrupt government minister, the Stasi is assigned to begin surveillance on them. Their best man, Wiesler, is charged with the task of recording every facet of their daily lives, uncovering suspicious activities to be used against them to end their artistic careers. As agent Wiesler learns and reports on the couple's secrets, he discovers some dark truths about the government that he's served so faithfully for so long.
Partway thru the film, I could imagine an inspiration for the story being the challenge of telling a 1984 story in the real world setting of 1984. This film is definitely what you'd get. Pretty damn remarkable. Have you checked out the trailer yet? You might think that it gives away a lot of the film, but there really is a good lot more. And I do mean good.
See this film! It is Good!
I don't know what to tell you except that it's brilliant, sad, powerful storytelling. One of the best dramas I've seen on the big screen in the last year, up there with CHILDREN OF MEN and PAN'S LABYRINTH. So well-acted, so well-packaged and cleverly told... the opening scene, a sort of anatomy of an interrogation, is chillingly matter-of-factly delivered, and it only gets better from there. The only non-gushing positive thing I can say about the film is that it's unfortunate that the actor who plays Georg Dreyman so resembles John Tesh. It's just a bit distracting.
I've got quite a few more thoughts on the film, but they're more spoilery in nature, so I'll put them together in a follow-up post.
I wish I had a nice Stasi boy eavesdropping on me.
*sigh*
Keep on keepin on~
5 comments:
Goddamn, brian, I wish there were a direct NJ to Boston teleporter . . . we could do some damage. I just rented Kung Fu Hustle, wanna come down?
I read about this one in the paper. Sounds very interesting. Won't be playing out here in Cowford County where I live, but I might have to go into the city to see it.
Chris! Would love to. Alas, teleportation, not actually available to the general public just yet.
HUSTLE is a ton of fun =)
It would be great in a triple feature with NAPOLEON DYNAMITE and SHAUN OF THE DEAD... Should you ever be in need of a triple feature.
Queenie! If you're gonna go to the city for it, please keep an eye out for THE HOST and try to catch it as a super-fun GODZLLA-meets-LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE chaser.
LIVES OF OTHERS is a very very very good film.
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