From Wolfgang Becker, award-winning director of Das Leben ist Eine Baustelle (Life is All You Get), comes Good bye, Lenin! -- a film with a welcome combination of wry humor and intelligence. This is one of the most poignantly touching films of recent years; it will have you smiling, laughing, crying or all three.
Set in 1989 East Germany, Alex Kerner (the wunderkind Daniel Bruhl)'s gung-ho socialist mother (the graceful Katrin Sass) suddenly collapses into a coma, only to awaken eight months later. Her fragile heart is very sensitive and Alex fears that any shock will result in his mother's relapse into coma, or worse: death. And what could be more damaging to his mother's heart than news of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the succession of capitalism? The past eight months have changed the family home, not to mention the outside world. Everyone (including the family) has embraced the capitalist way of life. Yet, since Alex's mother is bedridden and too weak to walk, she is confined to the walls of her bedroom. Before her homecoming, Alex masterfully decorates the household back to its original state, as it was eight months ago. He furnishes the apartment to look as though not a single thing has changed – with success. The major production of keeping up appearances becomes a part of daily life for Alex, his sister Ariane (Maria Simon), and hand-picked neighbors. However, there are problems. One of which includes his constant quest for a specific pickle brand, not to mention how increasingly difficult it is to shelter his mother from television. Alex remedies this problem with the help of his good friend who plays newscaster and together, they make videotapes of "news footage" which Alex shows his mother as current news footage.
Keep an eye out for Daniel Bruhl who is fast-tracking his way to the top, which means he will become more visible to North American audiences. He made waves with his magnificent performance in Nichts Bereuen (No Regrets) and he was awarded the German Film Award for Best Actor in 2001 for his role in Das weisse Rauschen (The White Noise). Katrin Sass is an established actor in Germany and has numerous awards to show for it. She has appeared on stage, film and television and is currently wowing critics with her comeback. Good bye, Lenin! has both established actors as well as newcomers who add to its brilliance, including Chulpan Khamatova as Alex's girlfriend Lara, and Maria Simon as Ariane. Florian Lukas and Alexander Beyer are others to watch for.
Boasting impressive awards, Good bye, Lenin! is the Winner of Best European Film at the Berlin Film Festival, as well as being an Official Selection at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival, among a host of others. With a perfect musical score by Yann Tiersen (who also did Amelie), Wolfgang Becker has flawlessly incorporated an important episode of world history with the universal emotion of love. You will adore Good bye, Lenin! from beginning to gorgeous end.
From Wolfgang Becker, award-winning director of Das Leben ist Eine Baustelle (Life is All You Get), comes Good bye, Lenin! -- a film with a welcome combination of wry humor and intelligence. This is one of the most poignantly touching films of recent years; it will have you smiling, laughing, crying or all three.
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