Two Lives (2012)

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

To understand the plot in "Two Lives", perhaps a bit of a history lesson is in order. Back during WWII, the Nazis wanted to greatly increase the number of Aryans and in order to do so they created the 'Lebensborn' program. It was a series of maternity centers for young mothers and German soldiers were encouraged to impregnate good Aryan girls--both Germans, Norwegians and other 'acceptable' ethnic groups. Marriage was not a major concern...they just wanted babies..healthy Nordic looking babies for the Third Reich. In essence, these were state sponsored baby mills and the children were taken from their mothers to be raised by the state.The story picks up around the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1990. A young Norwegian lawyer has just approached Katrine (Juliane Köhler) about a lawsuit. It seems that Katrine and her mother are unique in that although her mother, Ase (Liv Ullman), was part of the Lebensborn program since she had married a German soldier and had a baby by him, she was unique because well after the war she is one of the only mothers who eventually found her child after she'd been forcibly taken by the Nazis. It seems that Katrine escaped communist East Germany as a young adult and eventually was reunited with her mother in Norway. Yet, inexplicably, many years later, Katrine is angry and wants nothing to do with this quest for justice...even though her mother is more than willing to cooperate. Why does Katrine demand secrecy and why does she go to Germany to destroy some of the Lebensborn records? Could Katrine actually be someone other than Ase's daughter? And, if so, why did she assume this woman's identity?The most amazing thing about this film is that it's based on actual cases...cases where duplicates were sent back into Norway...duplicates which claimed to be children from the Lebensborn who were returning to their mothers! Overall, a fascinating and well made film--one that is well worth seeing and profoundly interesting as well as sad.

I stumbled across this whilst looking for German language films and although it's mostly in Norwegian, I still had to watch because the plot sounded fascinating.I thought I had it all figured out from the beginning and that I knew exactly how it would end. I was wrong.When dealing with conspiracies and far-fetched seeming events, the best way to go about it is with subtlety and understatement. Juliane Köhler as the lead 'Katrine', manages to portray the urgency, danger and horror of the situation whilst still being sympathetic. I honestly didn't know who to feel most sorry for by the end of it all.The only criticism I have (and hence why not 10/10), is that I would have liked to have seen more of the family and how they subsequently dealt with the tragic revelations.I'm very glad I watched this and it's an easy recommendation from me.9/10

Sadly the plot falls apart. The more you understand what has happened, the less plausible it is.The seaside, buildings, mountains, etc. make for gorgeous background.The characters are portrayed with depth and sympathy. Each deals appropriately with the stresses that they are under, and you can understand their actions.The plot moves a long at a good pace, with flashbacks becoming clearer as the movie progresses.But sadly when all is revealed, the plot has more holes than Romeo and Juliet. Coincidences, unlucky timing, unrealistic actions by professionals, ... it has them all.

I expected a 'small' film, very Scandinavian and moody about not much of anything. Instead, one of the most intriguing and suspenseful espionage stories ever AND based on a true case! Beautifully scripted, crisply directed and Liv Ullmann deftly underplaying her role steals every scene she is in! The spycraft is top-rate and believable and the human elements, above all, make this endlessly fascinating. I am not easy to please when it comes to Cold War thrillers.The central character is endlessly fascinating to think about. The way she lives a lie and yet really and truly loves and has a family. Seldom does a movie keep me thinking long afterwards as this did.