It's set in the 80s. The main character is Wiesler, an interrogator in the East German Stasi - and a good one. He's clinical, he's efficient, and he sticks to the letter of the rulebook.
Wiesler is given an assignment of running surveillance on a playwright. Officially the reason is that he may be subversive, but Wiesler can see through this - the official that wants the surveillance is infatuated with the playwright's actress girlfriend. The more Wiesler listens, the more he finds his assignment challenged by a growing respect for the man he is supposed to be trying to destroy.
This movie is slow paced and very much character-driven, but the unfolding situation becomes at first intriguing and finally compelling. The sense of the quiet power and threat of the regime grows steadily; no violence is ever shown, just the dawning realisation that this is a state where an individual is given no choice other than to do exactly as they are told. The characters are complex - Wiesler is both the big man and the small man, Sieland (the actress) is being corrupted but always retains some integrity, Dreyman (the playwright) is talented and respected and yet his ignorance of the surveillance makes him vulnerable. This gives the film a crucial element of unpredictability - you are never sure whether the goodness in each character will be able to transcend or be destroyed. What struck me is how beautifully weighted the ending is - no emotional scenes, but a kind of quiet justice.
If you have the patience, I think you'll find this one satisfying.
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