Das Leben der Anderen
09 Mar 2007 
3 Comments
I was probably not alone in being surprised when, about two weeks ago, Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth failed to win Best Foreign Picture at the Academy Awards. It seemed such a sure thing. I really loved Pan’s — I thought it was among the very best movies of 2006.
Instead, this German political thriller took home the award, and it’s interesting to note the similarities to Pan’s. They both take place in a fascist regime. They both contain the constrasting elements of escapism and reality. They’re both about loyalty, disobedience, and betrayal, in one way or another.
And yes, I am willing to concede that maybe the Academy got this one right this year. This movie completely blew me away. This is the kind of movie I long to see every year, but very rarely do I get to.
The singularly most impressive thing about this movie is Ulrich Mühe. He acts this whole movie with supreme restraint and subtlety, using pretty much only his eyes and his breathing. It’s one of the best performances I’ve seen. Ever.
This movie is outstanding in almost every singly way. It’s extremely tense, with a super-tight script, and interesting symbolism throughout, but mostly, it’s a superb thriller. The way the main character is affected by art, and how it transforms him, is mesmerising to watch. And let’s not forget the brilliant payoff at the end of this intricate piece of art.
Had I actually made a list, this would without a doubt have made my top ten of 2006. Probably even the top five. Walk, don’t run, to your nearest theatre. You can thank me later.
Film Info
I’m very much with you here. I would probably give it 4.5 or perhaps even 5. Wiesler was played extremely well and most of the other characters were very believable as well. I think it really got to the heart of the Stasi/DDR’s problems: everyone was an opportunist of some sort, which automatically makes the system itself fallible. And the ones who actually realize that something may be wrong take the fall.
Great acting and the cinematography was perhaps even better (I couldn’t stop thinking about Futurama’s neutral planet “go to beige alert”…).
Glad you liked it. I hope more people get to see this. It’s been almost three weeks and it’s still on my mind.
I reviewed this on FW lately and agree with you both, it really blew me away. Superb acting and a great feeling of intensity throughout. It was also a close run thing for me between this and Pan’s Labyrinth, I’m not sure I could place one above the other though. Whilst we’re talking about del Toro, I had the good fortune to catch one of his earlier films the other night on TV called El Espinazo del Diablo (The Devils Backbone) which was a really excellent and stylish ghost story. It’s set in an orphanage at the end of the Spanish civil war and is very eerie and beautifully shot. Well worth a watch if you can find it, 4 stars from me.