This movie has received overwhelming praise recently in both class and discussions I have had outside of class. It has been referenced so much that I finally watched it tonight. After watching the film for its two hour run time, I have little praise to give. The film is intriguing for the way in which it deals with surveillance- it can be said the growth of the surveyor is a bit more important than that of those surveyed. But the film doesn't do anything earthshaking. One could argue, perhaps, that the movie is made intriguing by fact that Georg is so wrapped up in worrying about whether others are being watched that he neglects the likelihood that he, himself is being surveyed. For me, this was just infuriating, as Georg had every reason to be hyper-cautious, given his plays and his various chats with the Minister of Art. Georg's carelessness in this regard corrupted the realism of the film and made the plot movement rather uninteresting. Also, I took issue with the blatant sexism in the movie. How can Georg's wife's infidelity/weakness be explained? Is the point that you can't trust anybody, even those you love? Is she only out to save herself? This question is further complicated by her implicating Georg and subsequently committing suicide when the agents come to the house. Perhaps she was actually testing Georg's belief that she would never betray him? Or is it too much to assume that she even understood the wiretapping agent's intentions during her confession? I know this isn't exactly related to the class itself, but it has been highly referenced in recent weeks. I was hoping to hear other people's takes. Perhaps I am missing the more subtle notes of the film, but for me, it was sexist and character roles left a lot to be desired (save Wiesler, the wiretapper, of course). Hopefully others have seen this and have strong views on it.