The Lives of Others
Laura Flippin's latest blog post:
William F. Buckley, conservative pundit and journalist, said of the 2006 German film, “The Lives of Others,” that it was the best film he had ever seen. Whether you like him and his politics or not, Buckley was a well-read, sophisticated connoisseur of art and literature. Upon reading this quote from a biography of him, I decided to check out the film and its portrayal of life in East Germany before the Berlin Wall came down in the late 20th century. My conclusion after viewing was that Buckley may, in fact, have underestimated the importance of this film – in my opinion, it is one of the best ever made in any language ever. Regardless of your political persuasion, you will be struck by this commentary about what happens when the state invades your life, tapping your phone, watching your every movement, and destroying your privacy, all in an attempt to influence not only your actions but also your thoughts.
The film focuses on the monitoring, electronic and physical, of East German citizens by the Stasi, the state police and the internal conflict this produces in the monitoring agent/Stasi captain, played by Ulrich Muhe, who is almost sickened at what he is required to do by the government to watch someone else’s daily existence. The film has been criticized by some Germans (the film was released in 2006, nearly 20 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall) for making Muhe’s character too sympathetic and suggesting perhaps that there might have been “good Germans” in East Germany. That view, however, seems a bit simplistic in light of both the treatment of Muhe’s character – who is as much victimized as he is victimizer within the Soviet controlled system – and the reality of life in Eastern Europe under Soviet domination post World War II. (A side note — Anne Appelbaum’s “Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-1956” is a great book discussing what really happened to the people of Eastern Europe and why they were so susceptible to Soviet encroachment in the post-war period — I am nearly finished with it and it is compelling). It also fails to recognize the subtleties of a film that isn’t shy about noting the complexities of living under totalitarianism. In the end – no spoiler alert here – Muhe isn’t rewarded for his part in the Stasi atrocities but rather defined by them. That definition seals his fate as well as those of others.
“The Lives of Others” won best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars in the year of its release, and has since been cited as not only a great movie but compelling commentary by both the political right and left. Lauded by Daniel Ellsberg and the editors of National Review, it is a must see.
from Laura Flippin http://ift.tt/1tKRVQM