Local Hero and The Lives of Others

I watched another of my favourite films last night again - The Lives of Others. For me it is the best film since the 1980s.

It struck me that it has a big similarity to Local Hero. It is about a man's emotional journey in life to understanding what is important - love, community and freedom. Of course, the starting points are very different. Mac starts out as a shallow materialist who thinks he has everything and gradually realises he hasn't. Wiesler starts as a genuine hardline socialist Stasi member who has total faith in the Party and gradually becomes disillusioned.

It's interesting in both films to look for the clues that their views are changing.

Does anybody else agree about this? And are there other films where a similar process takes place?