The Lives of Others: A Screenplay

Nothing is private. Nothing is sacred.

In 1984 East Berlin, the Stasi Captain Gerd Wiesler is assigned to spy on the playwright Georg Dreyman. Wiesler and his team bug the apartment, set up surveillance equipment in an attic and begin reporting on the activities of Dreyman, who had previously escaped state scrutiny due to his pro-Communist views and international recognition.

One day, however, Wiesler learns the real reason behind the surveillance: the Minister of Culture c…