East Germany’s notorious Stasi conducted endless surveillance on the country’s domestic population, rooting out so-called “enemies of socialism” while generating a paralyzing, Kafkaesque atmosphere of paranoia and dread. Writer-director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s stunning debut follows as the oppressive system consumes one of its own. Weisler (Ulrich Mühe), a Stasi agent and true believer, is assigned by corrupt party hacks to observe and investigate Dreyman (Sebastian Koch), a successful playwright. His investigation leads him in turn to Dreyman’s girlfriend Christa (Martina Gedeck), a tormented, power-hungry actress. The unintended consequences of Weisler’s discoveries mount up relentlessly as he learns more about the politicians who misuse the secrets he gathers. A gripping thriller and a vivid reconstruction of a vanished historical epoch, LIVES above all is a fascinating and timeless character study of a lost soul pulled back into the real world. –LG (Germany, 2006, 137m)