The Lives of Others
Before the Fall of the Berlin Wall, East Germany's Secret Police Listened to Your Secrets.
In 1984 East Berlin, dedicated Stasi officer Gerd Wiesler begins spying on a famous playwright and his actress-lover Christa-Maria.Wiesler becomes unexpectedly sympathetic to the couple, and faces conflicting loyalties when his superior takes a liking to Christa-Maria.
- Director
- Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
- Signature
- Craft · Drama · Tension
- Worldwide
- $78M
Who's in it
Cast
The billed ensemble, with character names. Open any performer for their Nutevio filmography.
The Nutevio profile
Movie DNA
How The Lives of Others actually feels to watch, measured on the twelve traits our editors track across every Nutevio title.
Perfect if you enjoyed
Story overview
What It's About
Spoiler-free. Read the analysis below for the full argument.
In 1984 East Berlin, dedicated Stasi officer Gerd Wiesler begins spying on a famous playwright and his actress-lover Christa-Maria. Wiesler becomes unexpectedly sympathetic to the couple, and faces conflicting loyalties when his superior takes a liking to Christa-Maria.
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
Checking regional listings…
Why We Recommend It
Why It's Ranked
The Lives of Others appears in 3 Nutevio collections. Here is the argument behind each placement.
- Thriller Movies Ranked #48
Placed at #48 by the Nutevio ranking model. An editor's written case is on the way.
- Top 100 Mind-Bending Movies Ranked #94
Placed at #94 by the Nutevio ranking model. An editor's written case is on the way.
- Top 250 Movies of All Time Ranked #246
Placed at #246 by the Nutevio ranking model. An editor's written case is on the way.
The record
Awards
6 wins · 8 nominations
Academy Awards
1 win · 2 nominations
- WinnerAcademy Award for Best International Feature Film
Central Ohio Film Critics Association Award for Best Foreign Language Film
1 win
- WinnerCentral Ohio Film Critics Association Award for Best Foreign Language Film
César Award for Best Foreign Film
1 win
- WinnerCésar Award for Best Foreign Film
European Film Award for Best Actor
1 win · 1 nomination
- WinnerEuropean Film Award for Best Actor
European Film Award for Best Film
1 win · 1 nomination
- WinnerEuropean Film Award for Best Film
European Film Award for Best Screenwriter
1 win · 1 nomination
- WinnerEuropean Film Award for Best Screenwriter
European Film Award for Best Actress
No wins yet · 1 nomination
- WinnerEuropean Film Award for Best Actress
European Film Award for Best Composer
No wins yet · 1 nomination
- WinnerEuropean Film Award for Best Composer
European Film Award for Best Director
No wins yet · 1 nomination
- WinnerEuropean Film Award for Best Director
The numbers
Box Office & Release
The Lives of Others returned 38.8× its budget worldwide.
- Budget
- $2M
- Opening weekend
- —
- Domestic gross
- —
- International gross
- —
- Worldwide gross
- $78M
- Release date
- Mar 23, 2006
- Runtime
- 2h 17m
- MPAA rating
- —
- Language
- German
- Country
- Germany, France
Figures from the verified production record. Fields we cannot source are left blank rather than estimated.
Watch
