CHRISTIAN TOTO: Anti-Communist Film Festival Arrives at Perfect Time. “The 2006 modern classic ‘The Lives of Others’ may be the finest film to cover Communism in its ugliest form. The story follows a Stasi officer (Ulrich Mühe) who spies on a playwright (Sebastian Koch) and his lover (Martina Gedeck) only to develop conflicted feelings about the assignment. It’s part of the festival lineup.”