9 Score

2006 • 2h 17min • R • Thriller, Drama

The Lives of Others

"Before the Fall of the Berlin Wall, East Germany's Secret Police Listened to Your Secrets."

In 1984 East Berlin, dedicated Stasi officer Gerd Wiesler begins spying on a famous playwright and his actress-lover Christa-Maria. Wiesler becomes unexpectedly sympathetic to the couple, and faces conflicting loyalties when his superior takes a liking to Christa-Maria.

IMDb 8.4

RT 92%

MC 89

Director

Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

Writer

Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

Composer

Gabriel Yared

Top Cast

Martina Gedeck

Christa-Maria Sieland

Ulrich Mühe

Gerd Wiesler

Sebastian Koch

Georg Dreyman

Ulrich Tukur

Anton Grubitz

Thomas Thieme

Bruno Hempf

Hans-Uwe Bauer

Paul Hauser

Volkmar Kleinert

Albert Jerska

Matthias Brenner

Karl Wallner

You earned + karma for this .

That's your 1st review. Keep going. You've reviewed movies. Keep going.

Reviewed • Remove from watchlist?

Overall feeling?

This just sets the vibe. You can still be picky later.

Changing your tone will clear your emotion picks. Continue?

How did it make you feel?

Pick your strongest feelings.

selected

Starter Pack

Unease & Intensity

Fun & Playfulness

Energy & Adrenaline

Warmth & Comfort

Emotional Weight

Reflection & Thought

Optional — you can skip this step

You've got the vibe. Now add the details.

Tag the best & worst performances — so readers know who carries the film.

⭐ best / • 💀 worst / • 🎭 character /

Tag standouts, scene-stealers, and weak links.

Martina Gedeck Christa-Maria Sielan...

Ulrich Mühe Gerd Wiesler

Sebastian Koch Georg Dreyman

Ulrich Tukur Anton Grubitz

Thomas Thieme Bruno Hempf

Hans-Uwe Bauer Paul Hauser

Volkmar Kleinert Albert Jerska

Matthias Brenner Karl Wallner

Charly Hübner Udo

Herbert Knaup Gregor Hessenstein

Bastian Trost Häftling 227

Marie Gruber Frau Meineke

Volker Michalowski Schriftexperte

Werner Daehn Einsatzleiter in Uni...

Hinnerk Schönemann Axel Stigler

Thomas Arnold Nowack

Optional — you can skip this step

That's the surface. Want to go deeper?

Break down what worked in the story — your take becomes the one people reference.

Optional — you can skip this step

Unlock the full breakdown — the good stuff.

Rate the cinematography and direction — help others decide if it's worth the big screen.

Optional — you can skip this step

You survived the basics. Ready for the full mix?

Score the soundtrack and sound design — the stuff most reviewers skip.

Optional — you can skip this step

Review Summary

Score

Review type

You haven't selected anything yet.

Go back to pick a tone or some emotions.

Feeling

Verdicts

Acting

Details hidden from readers

Plot

Details hidden from readers

Visuals

Details hidden from readers

Sound

Details hidden from readers

Cast

You've hit the limit for guest reviews

Create a free account to keep reviewing and make your voice count.

Your review is ready - without an account it's the basic version.

You're not signed in

Without an account, your review won't include detailed breakdowns, cast picks, or genre tags. Readers will see a stripped-down version.

Guest reviews don't appear in ratings or top reviews.

Almost there - verify your email first.

Check your inbox for the verification link

Your review is saved and ready to go. Once you verify your email, you can publish it right away.

No reviews yet

Be the first to share your thoughts on this film. Your structured review helps the community discover what makes it worth watching.

What you'll rate

Overall Tone Emotions Acting Plot Visuals Sound

Movies

People

Movies

People

The Lives of Others