Third week of Dekaden: Screening of Das Leben der Anderen and Der Himmel über Berlin
All films are for 18 years old and above
Week 3, Sunday, October 30, 2022
- 2 PM - Das Leben der Anderen (Directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, 2005)
- 4.30 PM - Special Screening (Directed by Christoph Schlingensief)
- 6.30 PM - Der Himmel über Berlin (Directed by Wim Wenders, 1987)
The last day of
DEKADEN will be dedicated to the city that witnessed the ramification of WW II like no other, Berlin. Dubbed as one of Wim Wenders’ best film,
Der Himmel über Berlin sees Berlin through Damiel (Bruno Ganz) and Cassiel (Otto Sander), two angels who are unseen and unheard by Berlin’s human inhabitants. Damiel falls in love with Marion, a lonely circus trapeze artist. He longs for real experiencing, not just observing. But, that means he will need to let go if his immortality. Also observing, unseen and unheard is Gerd Wiesler (Ulrich Mühe), a Stasi man (Staatsicherheit, East German secret police) in
Das Leben der Anderen. He is appointed by the highest person of the culture ministry to shadow the poet/theatre director Georg Dreymann (Sebastian Koch) and his girlfriend actress Christa-Maria Sieland (Martina Gedeck).
A mission that is started as an intercepting procedure (business as usual for Stasi) develops unexpectedly for Wiesler, who is normally a loyal officer who lives alone and has built no intimacy with anyone around him, and become his only source of human connection. In a world where darkness and surveillance are maintained by the government to prevail, Wiesler emerges and bring his own kind of light for those who suffer. Although at the end the loss and defeat is still palpable, the film is still one of most remarkable depiction of life under GDR, which also highlighted the importance of freedom for artistic minds in any society.
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