Das Leben der Andern

Das Leben der Andern (The Lives of Others) ★★★★
A German-made film that has English subtitles, this extremely well-done movie won not only international acclaim, with the winner of the Academy Award for best foreign-language film of 2006, but also considered the top conservative film of the last 25 years, according to National Review. It is the moving story of an artist being held under surveillance by the Stasi in the former DDR (East Germany). It is a witness of the realities of state control of one’s life, and even one’s thought. I fear that telling the plot would ruin the film for subsequent viewers. I must say that this is a must film, especially in the US as we have increased state surveillance all intended on protecting us from Terrorists and the like. Though the film is rated R, there are minimal scenes that one would find even remotely offensive. Bill Buckley Jr. shows good taste in calling this one of his favorite films of all time.