If the filmmaker commits a crime, it's in pushing the [Stasi] character's rehabilitation slightly too far--about as much as the weight of a teardrop.
CommentAug 24, 2009
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Das Leben der Anderen (The Lives of Others) (2006)
93
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:147
Fresh:137
Rotten:10
Average Rating:8.2/10
Consensus: Unlike more traditional spy films, The Lives of Others doesn't sacrifice character for cloak and dagger chases, and the performances (notably that by the late Ulrich Muhe) stay with you.
Theatrical Release: Mar 23, 2006 Wide
Box Office: $11.2M
Synopsis: East Berlin, November 1984: Five years before its downfall, the former East-German government ensured its claim to power with a ruthless system of... [More]
Starring: Martina Gedeck, Ulrich Mühe, Sebastian Koch, Ulrich Tukur
Director: Florian Henckel-Donnersmarck
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REVIEWS FOR DAS LEBEN DER ANDEREN (THE LIVES OF OTHERS)
A truly unforgettable movie.
Jun 24, 2008
Although Henckel von Donnersmarck has a number of genuinely good ideas ... the film is marred by redundancy, indecision and clumsiness.
Jun 9, 2008
Not since Francis Ford Coppola's masterful The Conversation has there been a thriller quite like this.
Feb 28, 2008
The best foreign language film of the year is also one of the year's best overall.
Jan 21, 2008
A multi-layered and surprisingly touching dramatic thriller.
Dec 30, 2007
The Lives of Others is a powerful but quiet film, constructed of hidden thoughts and secret desires.
Sep 21, 2007
Top Critic... The Lives of Others illustrates, with only a dash of sentimentality, the truth that integrity leads to vulnerability and sacrifice.
Sep 12, 2007
The Lives Of Others' obedient, obsessed spy in an exceedingly odd sense may have much more of a handle on the lives of others than, say, the filmmaker, who himself was around six years old at that time period of the former GDR.
Sep 11, 2007
The Lives of Others aims to flatter its audience - a quality typical for a film whose emotional posturing is only skin deep.
Aug 28, 2007
Actually one of the most optimistic stories I've watched in a long while.
Aug 24, 2007
A beautifully mounted movie that's difficult to shake.
Aug 19, 2007
a mesmerizing, heartbreaking thriller
Jul 29, 2007
How surprising that a new German film would teach Americans about human faith at a time when acclaimed movies like Borat lack faith.
Jul 11, 2007
a finely nuanced screenplay into whose naturalistic dialogue an intricate array of suggestive symbols and recurring motifs are subtly folded.
Jul 10, 2007
Una notable mirada a la vida bajo un régimen opresivo, en este caso la RDA de 1984. Sorprendente debut del director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, con excelente elenco y calidad narrativa.
May 14, 2007
Von Donnersmarck moves certain sequences too slowly, but matches his tightest suspense with human intrigue.
Apr 25, 2007
You know within minutes of watching The Lives of Others ... that you are in confident, authoritative hands.
Apr 21, 2007
Few films have dared paint East Germany and its legions of demons in such honest and unsparing detail. Von Donnersmarck puts a pickaxe into the past.
Apr 21, 2007
Reels us in and keeps us engaged.
Apr 19, 2007
LATEST NEWS FOR DAS LEBEN DER ANDEREN (THE LIVES OF OTHERS)
December 14, 2007:
Atonement, Control Lead London Film Critics Noms
The London Critics Circle has announced the nominees for its year-end awards, with Anton Corbijn's Control and Joe Wright's Atonement leading the pack at eight nominations apiece.
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August 21, 2007:
RT on DVD: The Lives of Others, RoboCop 20th Anniversary, and More Out Today
It's Tuesday, and you know what that means. New DVD releases! This week we have 2007's Best Foreign Oscar winner The Lives of Others, a Serenity Collector's Edition, and other safe bets. Read on to...
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March 19, 2007:
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Three new competitors were no match this weekend for the mighty action epic "300," which easily defended its box office crown to rule North American theaters for a second straight time....
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February 22, 2007:
Oscar Night Approaches; Who Will Win? Our Predictions Inside!
There's two ways to predict the Oscars: (1) dissect the awards buzz, attempting to get a feel for the fickle machinations of the Academy voter. Or (2) use your powers of geek math to crunch box...
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February 8, 2007:
Critical Consensus: "Norbit" Is Flabby; "Hannibal Rising" Isn't That Tasty
This week at the movies, we've got a nerd with an overbearing fiancée ("Norbit," starring Eddie Murphy) and the early days of Hannibal Lecter ("Hannibal Rising," starring Gaspard...
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