The Lives of Others - Das Leben der Anderen

I keep mentioning the Stasi in my blog, which is not relevant to my life experiences at all, I don't even read thrillers about the secret service. However, last night Stan brought home the above film which is incredibly clever. You know you are watching a Stasi man, a faithful apparatchik, and you know he is interested in the people he is spying on, but you are constantly on tenterhooks because despite his sympathies, the pressure is on him to report on all their secrets. Will he or won't he? His face conveys an inner life but it's still not clear what he feels and when he will cave in and report their activities. Corruption exists in high places, and the surveillance officer is aware of this - it will surely colour his judgment - or won't it?
Brilliant acting.