Goodbye, Lenin! Movie Review:


Goodbye, Lenin! is a sappy comedy that is at times sweet and amusing, but as a whole it is pretty unbelievable. However, its notions are what counts, which is centered on a dedicated son making his mother happy to prolong her life. The flipside of the coin is the way keeps her calm and happy is by lying to her about the reunification of Germany during 1989.

Alex (Daniel Bruhl) and his sister Ariane (Maria Simon) adore their mother, Christiane (Katrin Sass), who lives her life as a communist under the German Democratic Republic in East Germany. During an uprising, she sees Alex being apprehended by the police and suffers a stricken attack that leaves her in a coma for eight months. During this time, the Berlin Wall falls and the two countries combine as one and movement of consumer globalization begins. The two siblings themselves enjoy the change and gain new jobs, in which Alex becomes a satellite installer and Ariane lands a job at Burger King. After Christiane awakens from her comatose state, the doctors tell Alex that if she experiences another shocking moment, she may die from it. With dedication to the communist party, Alex plans to not let his mother know at all about the end of communism and combining of the two Germanys. He goes to great lengths of making his mother believe that the countries are as they were when she first went into a coma, including having her friends, his sister, and his girlfriend help him with the lies. Alex also has the obstacle of finding old abandoned necessities for his mother, such as the pickle jars of the previous East Germany. The lying becomes more and more of a problem, such as when his mother sees a Coke advertisement outside her window. Alex then quickly enlists the help of his co-worker, Denis (Florian Lukas) who is also an aspiring filmmaker, to create news broadcast that actually confirms such fabrications that Coke originated in Germany and spread to the west rather than the east. Subplots arise, which one includes the truth of Alex and Ariane’s father, but the concept of devotion, love, and comfortably ascend above all throughout this film.

The problems with Goodbye, Lenin! is that as far-fetched and funny that the creations by Alex are to pass off to his mother, the more unbelievable and at times irritating this film becomes. Co-writer and director Wolfgang Becker blends in a tear jerking tone with the light comedy that perhaps would have worked more efficiently as a full-fledged. At times, this film seems uneven, as if without the drama there would be no comedy, but the two have to work on different levels. Goodbye, Lenin! is overall amusing, but the unbalance notions really stand out. The historical timeline with the merging of the two Germanys is not totally unveiled, but the consumer jokes (Coke, Burger King) are clever and the whole concept is original. The film does becomes stressful at times, as when Becker unleashes the tension surround Alex’s secrets of keeping his mother believing, it really gets to the point to where we are begging for him to just tell her. Also, depending on your views of socialism and communism, it can be seen as unjust for a son to continue to have his mother believe in those notions. The two are really just factors or subsidiaries to the political context of the film. First and foremost this is a film of loyalty and love, not a propaganda film or a political statement.

As Alex, Daniel Bruhl delivers a wonderful performance as the driven son. Katrin Sass spends most of the film bedridden, but is still effective as the mother Christiane. Florian Lukas, who plays Alex’s satellite co-worker and Maria Simon, who plays his sister Ariane are also solid in their respected roles.

Goodbye, Lenin! was a huge hit in its home country of Germany, and it is now making its way around the globe. Though pleasant for the most part, the problems with the film’s balance and realism are what hamper it throughout. The extended subplots, such as the true discovery of Alex’s father are introduced moderately, but do give the film more substance and depth. Due on what your views are, this film could be taken the wrong way. It should not be, it is really just a story of love and family placed during a specific historical context.

Grade: C+

Joseph Tucker

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