THE WALLS HAVE EARS IN TAUT 'THE LIVES OF OTHERS'.Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's astounding a·stound tr.v. a·stound·ed, a·stound·ing, a·stounds To astonish and bewilder. See Synonyms at surprise. [From Middle English astoned, past participle of astonen, debut, "The Lives of Others," shows how first-rate thrillers don't have to feature buildings crashing into Venetian canals, high body counts or even bullets for that matter. The movie, set primarily in 1980s East Germany East Germany: see Germany. , captures the suffocating suf·fo·cate v. suf·fo·cat·ed, suf·fo·cat·ing, suf·fo·cates v.tr. 1. To kill or destroy by preventing access of air or oxygen. 2. To impair the respiration of; asphyxiate. 3. fear and despair that gripped that country in the days when neighbors betrayed neighbors in the name of state security. Smart twists and turns abound, leading to a perfect, profound moment that satisfies like few other movie endings. The movie begins in East Berlin in 1984. Capt. Gerd Wiesler (Ulrich Muhe), a cunning member of Stasi, East Germany's secret police, has grown bored, maybe a little complacent. When his boss tells him that celebrated playwright Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch Sebastian Koch (born May 31, 1962 in Karlsruhe) is a German actor. Koch grew up in Stuttgart, and studied acting at the respected Otto-Falckenberg-Schule in Munich from 1982 to 1985. ) is beyond reproach (not to mention the "only non-subversive writer read in the West"), Wiesler decides to bug the man's apartment and dig up some dirt. No artist can be that clean. Writer-director von Donnersmarck vividly captures the dispiriting dis·pir·it tr.v. dis·pir·it·ed, dis·pir·it·ing, dis·pir·its To lower in or deprive of spirit; dishearten. See Synonyms at discourage. [di(s)- + spirit.] Adj. atmosphere of a country where the state controls its citizens through fear and terror. Wiesler's journey toward self-awareness is fascinating, inspiring, even empowering. It's one of the great moviegoing experiences of the year. Glenn Whipp, (818) 713-3672 glenn.whipp@dailynews.com THE LIVES OF OTHERS - Three and one half stars (R: sex, nudity) Starring: Martina Gedeck, Ulrich Muhe, Sebastian Koch. Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck Florian Maria Georg Christian Graf Henckel von Donnersmarck (b. May 2 1973, Cologne) is an Academy Award-winning German director and screenwriter. Personal life He grew up in New York, Brussels, Frankfurt and West Berlin and speaks English, German, French, Russian and . Running time: 2 hr. 17 min. Playing: Laemmle Town Center 5 in Encino, the Arclight in Hollywood, Laemmle's Playhouse Cinema in Pasadena, Landmark's Westside Pavillion in West L.A., Laemmle's in West L.A., and Edward's Westpark 8 in Irvine. In a nutshell: Gripping thriller about crippling fear in the waning days of Communist East Germany. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: In 1980s East Berlin, a playwright (Sebastian Koch) and his actress girlfriend (Martina Gedeck) are spied on by Communist party Communist party, in China Communist party, in China, ruling party of the world's most populous nation since 1949 and most important Communist party in the world since the disintegration of the USSR in 1991. informers in "The Lives of Others." |
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