The Lives Of Others (swe-subs) - 2 - Exposing Moral

Описание: ( english subs :    • The Lives Of Others (eng-subs) - 2 - Expos...   )

In this second clip all decency is pealed off as Grubitz plays his sadistic prank on the member of lower rank in the Stasi staff. What makes it really disgusting is the agony of the poor victim guy, a kind of ordinary fellow who just wanted to tell a joke to his friends.

This is the essential of my point. Our judgement of the action (the prank) is based on a moral evaluation of the characters involved. If we would have seen the victim guy doing something cruel in a previous scene we would have a sense of fairness that he now gets punished. Now instead we see Grubitz as worth noting but contempt.

In the end of the clip focus is put on Wiesler. Even though he does not say a word we understand by the expression on his face that he too now despises Grubitz. This way the scene is preparing Wiesler mentally for his later actions.