Lives of Others...Best Foreign Film! Ulrich Muhe a revelation!

The "Live of Others" was named Best Foreign film last year.

Understandably.

The taut thriller was one of the most disturbing features I have seen over the past few months.

The spellbinding tale focuses on a five year period before the fall of East Berlin.

A Captain (Ulrich Mühe) in the corrupt secret police known as the Stasi (East Germany) is employed to spy on a celebrated playwright (Sebastian Koch) and his talented actress girlfriend (Martina Gedeck).

While the politically-active writer is at the Theatre - his apartment is expertly bugged - and around-the-clock surveillance is commenced to determine if the artist is loyal to the party.

During this period in Germany's dark history, actors, playwrights, and other puppets of the perpetual muse were often subjected to abuse or forced to act as informants in exchange for permits to pursue their artistic work.

Refusal to cooperate often resulted in a loss of privileges, imprisonment, or both.

The film traces the gradual disillusionment of Captain Muhe’s character as he watches over the couple from an abandoned attic upstairs. His inclination to run afoul of his superiors is spurned on by his growing attraction to the sexy young woman.

The "Lives of Others" was written and directed by a remarkable director, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck.

To lend authenticity to the film there are subtitles.

Von Donnersmarck maintains a fast clip throughout - but still manages to build tension all the while - surreptitiously drawing the audience into the lives of the three main characters seamlessly and with spine-tingling ease.

Some harrowing tongue-biting suspense sequences will keep you on the edge of your seat.

A surprise ending is astonishing and a clever twist; indeed, at the powerful close, moviegoers head out of the theatre with a curious smile on their face and a sense of satisfaction in their step.

Although the film uses authentic locations, the characters are composite-based.

In short, this is a superbly directed, well-acted, suspenseful thriller.

Don't miss it!