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Good Bye Lenin! (2003)
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The fall of the Berlin Wall and subsequent reunification of Germany is less than obvious material for a comedy, but this critical and commercial smash from director Wolfgang Becker — it outgrossed Harry Potter in its homeland — illustrates the “before” and “after” from a quirky and amusing perspective. Katrin Sass plays a staunch socialist who lapses into a coma for eight months, during which time the seeds of change are planted in Berlin. When she finally wakes, doctors warn her devoted son (Daniel Brühl) that any shocks could kill her, so he sets about hiding all traces of reunification. There are some big laughs — as Brühl recruits family and friends to bolster the lie, including faking news broadcasts — and the accompanying social comment is nicely done, although subplots involving a love interest and an awkward family reunion are integrated with less skill. JC
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Running time
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116min
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Country of origin
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Ger
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Genre
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Comedy Drama
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Alternate title
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Good bye, Lenin!,
Goodbye, Lenin
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Original language
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German
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Screenplay
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Bernd Lichtenberg, Wolfgang Becker
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Theatrical distributor
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UGC Films
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UK cinema certificate
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15
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UK cinema release date
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July 2003
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Subtitling information
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In German with subtitles
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| awards information |
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Award |
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Nominee/Winner |
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| British Academy Film Awards 2003 |
Best Film Not in the English Language |
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Nominee |
| Golden Globe 2003 |
Best Foreign Language Film |
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Film certification logos reproduced by kind permission of BBFC |
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