Good Bye, Lenin! Movie Review 2003

Communism has come to an end as the Berlin Wall falls in 1989 which may be too much of a shock for Alex's (Bruhl) mom Christiane (Sass)--a staunch Socialist--who has a heart attack right before the event and slips into an eight-month coma. In an effort to protect her from the changes capitalism has brought, he comically yet believably revives the vestiges of the fallen regime and even goes so far as to stage a newscast as part of the clever ruse. Although the practicality of the scenario is stretched, Bruhl impressively delivers in this offbeat farce. In German, with English subtitles. Winner of the 2003 European Film Awards for best picture.

Distribution

Sony Pictures Home Video, Sony Pictures Plz., 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232, Phone: (310)244-7306, Fax: (310)280-2485, URL: http://www.spe.sony.com, Remarks: Formerly Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment

Available on DVD
Running time 121 minutes.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Comedy Drama, Period Piece: 1980s, Berlin, Communists & Communism, Germany, Family Ties, Moms, Brothers & Sisters, Coma

Screenplay

Wolfgang Becker, Bernd Lichtenberg

Cast

Chulpan Khamatova, Alexander Beyer, Daniel Bruhl, Katrin Sass, Maria Simon, Florian Lukas

Cinematography

Martin Kukula

Director

Wolfgang Becker

Music

Yann Tiersen

Other

Wolfgang Schukrafft, Peter R. Adam, Matthias Klemme, Aenne Plaumann, Lothar Holler, Daniele Drobny

Producer

Stefan Arndt, WDR-TV, X-Films Creative Pool, arte, Warner Bros.