

The Lives Of Others
Oscar winner for Best Foreign Film. At once a political thriller and human drama, The Lives of Others begins in East Berlin in 1984 - five years before Glasnost and the fall of the Berlin Wall and ultimately takes us to 1991, in what is now the reunited Germany. Traces the gradual disillusionment of Captain Gerd Wiesler, a highly skilled officer who works for the Stasi, East Germany's all-powerful secret police.
- Director:
- Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (feature debut)
- Writer:
- Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
- Cast:
- Martina GedeckUlrich MüheSebastian Koch
The Lives Of Others | Awards
The Lives Of Others | Reviews


Variety
Superbly cast drama… that looks to be a solid upscale attraction wherever the special chemistry of good writing and performances is appreciated...
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San Francisco Chronicle
A great film, the best I've seen since Terrence Malick's "The New World," and far and away the richest and most brilliantly acted picture to be released this Oscar season...
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New Zealand Herald
While much of it may recall Coppola's masterwork 'The Conversation', this film's dramatic lineage goes back much further. For once, the overused word masterpiece seems almost inadequate...
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Hollywood Reporter
Starts out dark and challenging then comes to a startlingly satisfying and warmly human conclusion that lingers long after the curtain has come down...
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Film Threat
von Donnersmarck creates a milieu so realistic that the attention-worthy setting becomes just a backdrop, while an intricate tale, as suspenseful as it is humanistic, takes over...
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Empire Magazine
Already f?ted, von Donnersmarck’s debut sets a closely focused, personal story against a more expansive backdrop of politics and power games -- a moving, enlightening tale of recent times...
Full reviewThe Lives Of Others | Release Details
The Lives Of Others is available to stream in Australia now on SBS On Demand.