The Life of Others (Das Leben der Anderen) Germany, 2006

Poet and playwright Georg Dreyman and his girlfriend, the actress Christa Maria Sieland, lead a successful life in former East German. Sooner than later, the Stasi (State Security) officials begin suspecting Dreyman; he is way too perfect, and he must be hiding something. Hiding what exactly? We never know, but back in those days, almost anything that was not approved by the Communist government was considered suspicious and even illegal. The government places hidden microphones all over Georg's appartment, and he is monitored night and day until they find out he has plans to publish an article in a West German magazine. Nevertheless, the official who finds out about his is too touched by what he is discovering, and perhaps out of pity starts to protect him by reporting lies and hiding Georg's real plans. The movie is extremely well cast. All actors deserve an award here, and the story structure is remarkable, as well as the music score. The is a very intelligent movie that portrays the atrocities committed during the Communist regimes in many Eastern European countries. Little is known abut this period of history, but this movie will surely help bring some attention to this topic.