This article postulates that the German film The Lives of Others (Das Leben der Anderen) by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, 2006, of which a large part of the action takes place in communist Germany, constitutes a powerful homage to the theatre, literature, and music-in brief, to art in general. The article studies this aspect of the work primarily along two axes: the intellectual as well as emotional impact of art. It examines how, through the character of Wiesler, artistic emotion acts to catalyzes a profound and beneficial metamorphosis. Finally, it is also by means of its treatment of art that the film approaches other themes, such as politics, liberty, and (social) engagement.