The Lives Of Others…

It’s a German film and it’s on at art house cinemas up and down the land. It’s got subtitles, too, but don’t let that put you off because it’s bloody brilliant.

Set in East Germany in the early 1980s, it tells the story of a Stasi high flyer who gets the job of spying on a famous writer. But while he has the scribe under surveillance he falls for his actress girlfriend and starts to find his own humanity – and go against his professional duty – after observing the joy of their lives.

There's not a weak performance on screen and, even though it's very much an ensemble piece, Ulrich Mühe (pictured) is moving and beautifully under-stated as the Stasi agent who risks his neck for those he's observing.

It’s already a multi award-winning film so I’m not really saying anything new. But it’s one of those rare life-affirming films where you walk out of the cinema and you realise the way you view the world has changed just a little bit – and for the better.