on Mar 25th, 2008The Lives of Others
I recently saw the German movie The Lives of Others (Wikipedia) and was blown away. I think it’s definitely in my top 5 movies of the decade. I didn’t know much about it before watching it, which I think was a good thing, since I was not expecting much. The movie starts out a little slow, but I was on the edge of my seat after about 30 minutes. The ending is one of the most emotional 30 minutes of movie watching I’ve seen in a long time. There is a rumor of an American remake which would be a horrible idea. Is it that hard to read subtitles?
I so agree - first 20 minutes were slowish but then the whole rest of the movie was amazing, every second of it. And yeah, the ending(s) were something - and so much more realistic than I’m used to seeing in movies. An American remake is a horrible idea - the setting and history are such vital parts of the film. Plus it’s got a quiet, understated feel related to that culture.
“The Lives of Others” has to be one the best films ever made. When my wife and I finished watching it we couldn’t talk for 30 minutes we were so blown away. The ending is so inspiring, so uplifting that one cannot help but feel there is hope for humanity. It would be a horrendous mistake to re-make it as an American movie. We need to leave perfection alone.