Goodbye, Lenin! is a German comedy film by Wolfgang Becker. It centers around a family that lived in East Germany as the 1989 revolution unfolded. After the matriarch of the family suffers from a near-fatal heart attack, her family must pretend that the revolution didn’t happen in order to keep her from the truth and save her life.

This film was pretty enjoyable for me as it mixed heavy topics with comedy. Their lies became more elaborate as it became more obvious that East Germany was getting more and more westernized. My favorite type of lie that they did was the fake news reports. It was amusing how they had to think of fake news, film, and edit it in order to keep the mother happy.

Goodbye Lenin is a film about family and the past regime of the Socialist Unity Party. When a single mother comes into coma, waking to a radically changed reality, how does her son Alex and daughter Ariane, keeping their mother in the dark for her health and safety. Though it is a moral dilemma to lie to one’s own mother, it this justifiable if the truth could very well shock her to death? This film addresses a historical reality, which is the taking down of the Berlin Wall, to a somewhat fantasy scenario in which Alex has to recreate the past regime and the society within it. Alex goes to great lengths for the safety of her mother – still believing that the Socialist Unity Party is active to this day.

This film, released in the year 2003, melds both historical truths in a stroke of fantasy to a ridiculous scenario of recreating old Germany. Since the new wave of industrialization and entrance of democratic and western attitudes, the film compares and contrasts the ideas of socialism developed in old Germany and the newer, more westernized ideals embodied after the events of the unification of Germany. The family becomes a symbol of the state of Germany, perhaps after its unification, where people of east (socialist) and west come together -bearing different norms, culture, and traditions with them. Since the coma of their mother, Alex and Ariene find ways to adapt to their new nation, finding means to coping with the situations presented to them. On the other hand, Alex’s mother, left at a stasis due to her coma, is forced to adapt to rapid changed, which doctors have advised to Alex would lead to her own death. Alex’s mother, holding to heart the dream of a Socialist Germany, has to live in a state in which she believes that can still come true. In that sense, the film drives home themes of sacrifice and love, in how Alex pushes himself to accommodate the needs of mother, no matter how ridiculous they are. Recreating Socialist Germany with the help of his neighbors and friends not only keep his mother healthy up to her final days, it opened the eyes of Alex, the one reformed to believing western ideals, to open his sense with what was and has been – the Socialist Unity Party of old Germany.

Goodbye Lenin, apart from the other films tackled in this course, is mainly character driven by historical and actual events in reality. Seeing how European cinema directors tackle such a grand and broad concept as keeping your mother thinking it is still 1989 is an ambitious project to undertake, and the acting and execution of the story is handled to great extent. The characters feel the weight of the situation – making the scenes more emotional. It really is a good film, despite being some of the more coherent and narratively straightforward ones in the lot. It still maintains a form of depth to its story that makes it a charm in its own rights.

Simply put, Good Bye, Lenin! was an easy-to-watch film, and for the first time in this class, something I would choose to re-watch over again. There was nothing particularly difficult about the film, as compared to our other films discussed in the class (*ahem* Persona) yet, Good Bye, Lenin! was a discreetly socially conscious film that was incredibly relevant to society. Despite the lack of a seemingly “difficult or bothering” plot, it still managed to be very successful due to its entertaining presentation of a harmonious balance between history, comedy, and familial ties.

Discussing this film’s historical context is a bit difficult for me, as I am not so well-informed on the happenings of socialism in East Germany, but anyone can tell that this movie was about a people’s love for their country. It’s obvious that Christiane was very dedicated to her country, but we can also see this same love in the actions of the family’s neighbors. These people, mostly older people who had lived most of their lives as socialists, seem to have enjoyed playing pretend for Christiane. You could almost see how they felt a bit sentimental over their times before the revolution. After doing some reading, I became familiar with a German term, ostalgie, which encapsulate the common theme of the movie as “nostalgia for a communist past”. Even Alex can be said to be a little nostalgic, as he really put a lot of effort onto recreating a communist life for his mother again.

However, Alex’s actions also show another great theme of the movie, of going to great lengths to protect your family. Alex literally changed the world for his mother, Christiane, even to the cost of his own happiness and comfort. I think that Alex was doing this all somewhat out of guilt for putting his mother in the hospital in the first place (because Christiane collapsed into a coma after seeing Alex being arrested at a anti-government rally). Because of this guilt, Alex’s efforts to revert his home back into its socialist state comforts not only his mom, but Alex himself. A less obvious act of love in the film is seen in the storyline of Christiane herself. She had given up a potentially more extravagant lifestyle outside East Berlin, as well as risking her relationship with her husband, just to protect her kids. A great contrast with Persona on the portrayal of motherhood.

Good Bye, Lenin! presented many questionable decisions, but overall, was a film about love and life. This film is a great example of how classic, great films don’t always need to be difficult to watch or so complex for the viewer, it can be simple, light, and even funny at times.

 

Out of all the movies we watched in class, Good Bye, Lenin! was the film I enjoyed the most (so far). It was funny and entertaining, and it also showcased familial values at the same time. The dilemma of the story was a choice between two goods — a moral dilemma — which made it more difficult for Alex to decide. He had to choose between his mom’s life and his own integrity — I understand why he chose the former!

In the film, Alex went through great lengths just to save his mother. He and Denis had to create fake broadcasts just to back up the web of lies that he created just so his mother would not go into shock. I found it noble yet frustrating at the same time. I honestly think that he could have saved himself and his family a whole lot of trouble if he just told his mom the truth at the start, or at least gradually. If that had happened to me, I think I would automatically choose to just come clean to my own mother, little by little. I would think that my mom would deserve to know the truth about the outside world. But then again, if Alex did not create the huge lie that their country was still under a communist regime, then there would have been no conflict, no plot, and of course, no movie.

Although I did not approve of the means, I did understand his end goal/purpose. He felt like it was the only way to keep his mother safe. I understood the love he had for his mom — it was evident. This fact was what I appreciated most in the film. I thought the film was going to be a political one; I was pleasantly surprised when the central theme of the movie was actually family. I also admired the fact that the characters were well-developed — it helped me empathize with the love they had for each other a little bit more. From start to finish, Alex’ persona was consistent. He was known as the quiet boy with a huge heart — a heart for what he values (which was shown when he fought against the government at the start of the film) and a heart that is filled with love for the woman who raised him (which was shown throughout the entire film as he lied to save her life). Christiane, his mom, was the traditional and conservative citizen whose beliefs opposed her son’s, but she knew in her heart that before being this type of person, she is a mother who loves her children. It was beautiful to witness her knowing about the lies Alex told to save her life and pretending she did not actually know. It was a simple scene, yet it showed to me how much she loved and appreciated the efforts of her family.

Good Bye, Lenin! was a unique way of telling the story of a son’s love for his mother. It was historical, comedic, and touching all at the same time.

Given the first few films that we watched in this course, Good Bye, Lenin! was the movie that I enjoyed watching the most because it was so much easier to follow and it was more relatable. Having studied the context of history when the film was set, the events were already familiar with how the situation was in Germany at that time and the film was able to incorporate different elements, being a tragicomedy film, to make it even more interesting to watch.

Just by watching the opening sequence, I could already tell that the movie will be about family as the montage of Alex’s family was shown that set the mood and expectations of the viewers. It provided the basic information needed to give a background of the story, which was something that was lacking in the previous films that we watched in the course. After seeing Alex being arrested during a no violence protest, Christiane, Alex’s mother, collapses and falls into a coma. She slept through the different events that happened in Germany such as the fall of the Berlin wall and the transition to a capitalist society. Being an activist herself, she wakes up still fatally ill as any form of excitement or heightened emotions can be dangerous for her. Alex goes as far as watching old news to hide what was actually happening and it was touching for me to see the extents that Alex was willing to go to just to keep her mother safe. Despite trying hard to hide the truth, Christiane finds out about the truth and even reveals the truth about their father.

The film revolves around Alex’s love for her mother, making sure that from her mother’s perspective, nothing has changed. The plot itself was very interesting for me as it shows the situation in Germany from the perspective of Alex’s family given their mother’s situation. It speaks of the untold stories that might happen in times of crisis that is not usually tackled in films since most give importance to the events themselves. It also showcases a part of their culture of still giving importance to family given everything that was happening in their country. The film tackles a lot of aspects and also showcases the development and the struggles that the characters went through. For instance, Ariane, Alex’s sister, always longed to see her father, who abandoned them. Her conflict is somehow resolved as Christiane reveals the truth about the father, which was ironic as she reveals the truth after she figures out what was actually happening in Germany.

What I also liked about the film was the comedic aspect that was incorporated—from Alex’s search for the pickle jars and the fake telecasts made by Alex’s friend. These details also reflect the reality of capitalism in Germany and how even Alex was longing for things to go back to how they were before. Overall, the film was very enjoyable and touching, unlike the confusion and frustration that the previous films made viewers feel.

The film Good Bye, Lenin has both a comedic and serious tone for the fall of the German Democratic Republic. The story revolves this German family wherein the mother falls into a coma after seeing her son get arrested in the riot. After the she has fallen into a coma, the Berlin Wall collapses and this shows the audience that times are changing and capitalism has triumphed. When his mother finally wakes up, the doctor tells Alex and his sister that any sudden shock can kill their mother, and so this begins Alex efforts to give his mom an illusion that everything is still the same. Alex goes to great lengths such as refurnishing the apartment with communist decor, finding the groceries that his mother loves, paying kids to dress as Young Pioneers to serenade his mother, and even recreating old TV newscasts. These ridiculous feats achieved by Alex are what bring a comedic tone to the movie and what shows his great love for his mother, like for example Alex and his friend, Denis, filming for hours to produce fake news in order to ensure his mother that the world is still the same. This illusion brought by Alex has a comedic feel also because of the cinematography effects used in these scenes. For example, the scene wherein Alex is refurnishing the apartment is played in fast forward with music that brings a light and funny tone to the scene. Apart from bringing a comedic atmosphere, the film also shows a serious message to the audience concerning this period because the friction between the two parties brought positive and negative consequences to the German citizens. It was shown in the film that Christiane also had her own secret which she kept from her family, and the truth was that the father did not just run away with some “enemy of the state girlfriend”. The truth was that the father’s refused to join the ruling party at that time, and so it would make his job more difficult. The plan was to flee the country and his family would follow him, but the Christiane decided not to because she feared the government would take the children away from her. She also hid the fact that the father wrote many letters to them. We can see here the parallelism of lies because one lie made by the mother and one made by Alex. Both Christiane and Alex went to great lengths in constructing these lies and illusions to protect their loved ones from the truth which could bring them harm. I find this aspect of the film to be very interesting because it shows how far people would go for the ones they love even if it means lying to them. After watching the film I was left with many emotions because of the complexity of the characters and interesting perspective during this time period in Germany. I enjoyed how the perspective showed one of the two sides of the reunification which many of us do not realise.

Among all the films in the class so far that I’ve seen, Good Bye Lenin is the one I’ve been most impressed by. The film knows how to be amusing despite being a drama at heart, and the performances just help elevate the film to a level that is simply admirable, just like the main character’s actions.

The film’s plot concerns Alex (Daniel Bruhl) and his mother (Katrin Sass). Alex’s mother is a hardcore socialist who uprooted her family to live in a Socialist state in East Berlin. One day, she suffers a heart attack and winds up in a coma. During her coma, major events happen. The Berlin Wall is torn down, Berlin’s borders are reopened, and capitalism comes to East Berlin. When she finally wakes up, Alex, out of concern for her fragile state, decides to pretend and stage an elaborate ruse to fool her about the current state of the world by manufacturing a reality around his mother that things are the way she left it.

The storyline was unique because while children deceiving their parents out of concern is a storyline that has been done by many other films before, the way Good Bye Lenin does this is that it is not just something as simple as getting parents back together like The Parent Trap, it is something that affects everyone in the film and this moment is intentionally being suppressed from an individual. It is a fascinating look as you can really see the differences. From a simple background to a large city landscape that has Coca-Cola branding and Burger King’s, the way the film establishes atmosphere is that like its characters, the viewer is thrust into a world that is slowly being affected by change.

It is this specific atmosphere that makes the ruse to fool Alex’s mother even more amusing – when something as simple as a Coca Cola billboard potentially being discovered is effective at bringing forth laughs, that’s when one knows how effective the film’s atmosphere is. It’s also not just laughs, some serious ramifications of the changes in the film’s world are also shown – such as how the forgetfulness of Alex’s mother leads to the family losing thousands of money due to them both not being able to find her bank book and not being able to tell her about what has happened.

What also makes the movie even better are the performances. Daniel Bruhl as Alex portrays his character with multiple layers. While on the surface the character just seems to be a loving son, he is able to insert multiple emotions and gestures to fully flesh out his character to be more than that. More than a loving son, he is also a romantic and a creative planner. Katrin Sass is also fantastic as the mother. There is a particularly powerful scene in the middle of the film where Alex’s mother eventually gains enough strength to get out of bed and walk on her own. The way the camera follows her face as she steps out of her son’s manufactured reality and into the world’s reality perfectly encapsulates the confusion of the character herself and without saying a single word, Sass just manages to not just convey the needed emotions of the scene, but also more.

Overall, while the film is something that is admittedly a bit more straightforward than the previous films I have seen in this class, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. Good Bye Lenin is a fantastic movie that wonderfully balances both Drama and Comedy and serves as an interesting period piece on the changes of Germany after the Fall of the Berlin Wall.