Delayed Reaction: The Lives of Others

The Pitch: East Germans go all "Big Brother" on some artists before the fall of Berlin Wall.

Is it fair to call this a muted cinema masterclass? I praise a lot of films and TV shows for holding back. The greatest thing about Coach Taylor in FNL or Lee Chandler in Manchester by the Sea is that they only say about 70% of what you'd like them to say. The rest you have to read from their performance. Ulrich Muhe's character is even more restrained than that. I didn't even realize until I thought about it afterwards how little he talks throughout. He's always listening to the people in the apartment that he bugged for the government, and when he does talk, it's not wasted words.

I can't say I was all that sucked into the movie before the last 20 minutes or so. After the East German government falls, Sebastian Koch's character pieces together all the ways that Muhe helped him. That's when it all comes together. Muhe accepting his demotion for interring with the operation, Koch finding Muhe but deciding not to meet him, and especially Muhe seeing the dedication in Koch's book all brought the film to a new level.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend