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Laramie Movie Scope:
Good bye Lenin!

A bittersweet look back at East Berlin

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by Robert Roten, Film Critic
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May 4, 2004 -- “Good by Lenin!” is a warmhearted look at the last days of the old Soviet empire as seen through the eyes of a family carrying a lot of heavy secrets in their hearts. It is very funny and sad at the same time. It reminded me a lot of another fine foreign film, “The Barbarian Invasions.” Like that French Canadian film, this German film deals with a lot of issues surrounding the head of a family who is seriously ill. The two films share another similarity: humorous attempts by family members and friends to bend reality to suit the delusions of the aforementioned ill family member.

The film, directed by Wolfgang Becker (Das Leben ist Eine Baustelle, “Life is All You Get”) tells the story of a family divided by the Berlin Wall in 1989. The father has emigrated to the west, leaving his wife and children behind. The mother, Christiane Kerner (played by Kathrin Sass) is one of the leading champions of socialism in East Berlin. When she sees her son, Alex (Daniel Brühl), being arrested in an anti-government demonstration, she collapses with a heart attack. She lies in a coma for months. While she is in the coma, the Berlin wall falls and the Soviet Union collapses. When she wakes up, the world has changed. The doctor tells Alex that any emotional shock to his mother could result in a fatal heart attack. Alex, feeling guilty, decides to hide the truth about Berlin, Germany and Russia from his mother. He goes to elaborate lengths to keep her from finding out the truth, including fabricating fake TV newscasts. It turns out his mother has secrets of her own. Meanwhile, Alex's sister has taken a job at Burger King and has moved on with her life. She doesn't agree with Alex's elaborate deceptions. Some neighbors and friends, however, have fond memories of socialism and are happy to go along with the deceptions.

As the story, and the truth, unfold, it becomes much richer, deeper and more complex. Hidden emotions and truths pour out of the main characters, but it is not at all clear which is better, the truth, or the beautiful lie spun by Alex and his friends. Alex, through his fabrications, was able to create an East German government that was far better than the real thing. He was able to create a government that was actually worthy of admiration. The truth is not so pretty as Alex's lies. At one level, the film is about the nature of movies, about the satisfaction a director gets from fabricating a personally pleasing form of reality. On another level, it is a story about the impact that lies have on the family, both for good and ill. It is also a story about love and how it can transcend both truth and lies. This is a very well-written story with fully-realized characters. It also has sharp personal and political insights to offer. It is not heavy-handed on politics, however, and it doesn't really favor one political system over the other. It is fairly even-handed. This film rates a B+.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in video and/or DVD format, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

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Copyright © 2004 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.
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Robert Roten can be reached via e-mail at my last name at lariat dot org. [Mailer button: image of letter and envelope]

(If you e-mail me with a question about this or any other movie or review, please mention the name of the movie you are asking the question about, otherwise I may have no way of knowing which film you are referring to)