Member review

The Lives of Others is set in 1983, in East Berlin. The film follows a famous playwright Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch) and his actress partner Christa-Maria (Martina Gedeck) who are suspected of not being loyal to the Communist party. They are spied on by the loyal Stasi officer Gerd Wiesler (Ulrich Mühe). He soon becomes sympathetic towards the couple and we see if he can stay loyal to the Stasi. This is a brilliant, heartfelt film centred on the control and surveillance of the East German state, and those who tried to defy it. I would definitely recommend this film.