The Lives of Others (2006)

R   |    |  Drama, Mystery, Thriller

The Lives of Others (2006) Poster

In 1984 East Berlin, an agent of the secret police, conducting surveillance on a writer and his lover, finds himself becoming increasingly absorbed by their lives.

8.4/10
354,186
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89 Metascore

Photos

  • Martina Gedeck and Sebastian Koch in The Lives of Others (2006)
  • Martina Gedeck and Sebastian Koch in The Lives of Others (2006)
  • Sebastian Koch in The Lives of Others (2006)
  • Ulrich Mühe in The Lives of Others (2006)
  • Martina Gedeck in The Lives of Others (2006)
  • Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck in The Lives of Others (2006)

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Cast & Crew

Top Billed Cast

Director:

Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

Writer:

Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
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Awards

Won 1 Oscar.

Another 79 wins & 38 nominations.

Top Rated Movies #59

Reviews & Commentary

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User Reviews
11 March 2007 | Hprog
10
| The ghost of authoritarian regimes
I've been taking German lessons for about 2 months now, and since movies were great in helping me learn English language I'm always looking for German films to watch (as well as German music to listen to) in order to educate my ears.

Anyway, I went to this place where I get all sort of rare movies and this one caught my attention... and I had no idea it got the Oscar for foreign language film this year! So I watched it without prejudice and... what did I find? A MASTERPIECE! This is the kind of movie that gets your attention from the first moment, and makes you interested in understanding the characters' psyche, which is very varied: you have the idealistic good guys, the idealistic bad guys, the people that broad their minds understanding that no political dogma is better than individual freedom, etc. And even though the movie has very tough moments it is all so well done and presented with such a good taste that in the end you feel some sort of relieved.

In this present day, when the ghost of authoritarian regimes still fly over our heads (in my country we're getting closer and closer to that reality), this movie will make you think about how important love, life and freedom are.

A must see!

Metacritic Reviews

Critic Reviews

Did You Know?

Trivia

When the Stasi raid Dreyman's flat, an agent comments on how much "Western literature" he owns. The book in the agent's hand is a German edition of "The First Circle," by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, a Soviet author who openly criticized the USSR, and was ultimately exiled.

Quotes

Guard: Stand still. Eyes to the floor.
Guard: Walk on.

Goofs

When Grubitz is talking to Wiesler in his office, he takes a fresh cigar out of a Humidor. After the next cut, only three seconds later, he is smoking and the cigar looks like it has been smoked for a longer time.

Alternate Versions

The US version features a written prologue in English, explaining the historical context of the film.

Soundtracks

Georg Dreyman, Der Dichter
Composed by Gabriel Yared, Stéphane Moucha
© & (p) 2006 Colosseum Schallplatten GmbH, under exclusive license of Gabriel Yared, Stéphane Moucha & Sony BMG Music Entertainment (Germany) GmbH.

Storyline

Plot Summary

Synopsis (WARNING: Spoilers)

Genres

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Details

Release Date:

30 March 2007

Language

German

Country of Origin

Germany, France

Filming Locations

Gedenkstätte Hohenschönhausen, Hohenschönhausen, Berlin, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$223,000 11 February 2007

Gross USA:

$11,286,112

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$77,356,942

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