DVD Review: The Lives of Others

I don't have a lot to say about The Lives of Others, though I highly recommend it. It won an Academy Award for best foreign language film in 2007. The Lives of Others follows the activities of a member of the East German State Security (Stasi) in 1984 as he begins listening in on a socialist playwright for possible thought crimes against the state. The movie serves as an insight into life under the Iron Curtain, and demonstrates that the only way to be morally good as a human being under those states was to break the law. If you speak German, you might pick up some of the subtleties; if you're a subtitle reader, it won't distract after the first five minutes. The story explains why conservatives are so concerned about socialism today, and why the lesson of the Cold War needs to be relearned every generation. Worth watching!