Comparrison, Lives of others opening and my own

The opening to the lives of others features many conventions of the thriller genre which can also be seen in my own.

The theme seen in the opening is that of interogation and surveillance. This is also the theme in my own opening. The sinsister nature and the exploitation of a humans weakness makes it conventional of the thriller genre. Surveillance is often used in crime and action thrillers as it induces the vulnerable feeling of being watched. For example in Red Road, the people being watched are put in a very weak position and are constantly unaware of their indiscretion.

The scene where the Stasi officer is teaching his class contains a sequence wherein we see an extreme close up of the surveillance equipment. This shot forces us to focus on the device that the officer is using to turn what sounds like a brutal interrogation into a simple lesson. This shot is remeniscant of one of my own in which the camera shows an extreme close up of the radio being used to spy on the antagonist. The focus on the equipment rather than the people removes the human element from the shots, giving them a heartless feel. Over this shot in both there is no music playing. This generates an eerie atmosphere and enhances the conventional coldness of the sequence.

Another similarity between the two can be seen as the respective interogations continue. After the eerie moment where we are forced to focus on the electronics (conventionally inhumane) the one being interogated reveals a secret. This shows how in both, the interrogation has become so intense that the victim has no other option than to tell the truth. The theme of unravelling mysteries is a convention of the thriller genre; this plot device can be seen in the two interogations and further intensifies the shots as a turning point in the story is created.

One difference that we see is the contrasting lighting between the two films. My own uses conventional dim lighting to give a sense of intensity and malice; this is stereotypical of thrillers as it generates the sensation of being trapped. The Lives of Others on the other hand uses very crisp white light which enhances the mechanical feel of the scene, enhancing the inhumane convention.

Finally, the two characters, while physically very different are both aiming for the same result. In The Lives of Others the character is a middle aged man however his passion to discover the truth is remeniscant of the young teenager in my own thriler. Despite having different motives they are both conventional characters of the thriller genre as both harbour a desire to harm a particualr group of people, be it for racial reasons or personal grudge. This may however be considered unconventional as the interogators in both are supposed to be the main charactres who stereotypically wish to prevent such actions. Fo this reason they may be described as more conventional anti-heroes, similar to other thriller characters such as Bruce Wayne in The Dark Knight.