Good Bye, Lenin!

Good Bye, Lenin! is a German drama of Wolfgang Becker, on a scenario of Bernd Lichtenberg. It left in February 2003 in Germany.

History

The film tells the life of the Kerner family, which lives with Berlin - Is in GDR (German Democratic republic). At the beginning of film, during the summer 1978, after the father fled in the west, his Christiane wife decide to invest in the social life of the communist mode . She lives with her son Alexander and her ARIANE daughter.

The October 7th 1989, Christiane must attend the celebrations of the 40e birthday of GDR. On the way, she sees a demonstration in which Alex takes part. Seeing the police officers repressing the demonstration and stopping her son, she disappears and fall into the Coma.

A few weeks later, the Mur fell and two young people are integrated in the Western life: Alex as a salesman of subscriptions to the satellite chains and his/her sister as waitress in a Burger King. Alex falls in love with Lara, a Russian nurse . His/her sister éprend of a Wessi , a German of the West. In June 1990, their mother awakes.

The doctor advises in Alex all to implement to avoid a relapse because of a shock, which leads Alex and ARIANE to hide in Christiane the political changes which took place. They refit the family apartment like front, hide all the technological improvements and new mentalities, find the marks of the products of front. They reach that point rather well with the assistance of the neighbors and their friends. The colleague of Alex, Denis, creates even in particular false East-German tv news to find explanations possible so that the mother discovers despite everything: a publicity of Coca-Cola on the building of opposite for example.

But, one evening, little time before the official reunification, Christiane must be taken along urgently to the hospital. Alex decides to find his father in the west and to produce with Denis a last newspaper in order to celebrate (advances some, the day of the reunification) last once the birthday of GDR for his mother. His/her mother having acknowledged to him that his/her father had asked him to join it in the West by sending several letters to him. ARIANE finds the letters where the address of their father is noted. While going there, Alex recognizes Sigmund Jähn in the driver of the taxi. Alex finds his father and brings it to his/her mother. Sigmund agrees to exploit in the last tv news the false birthday of GDR as a new president. The day of the birthday of the reunification, Alex changes the date of the calendar so that his/her mother thinks of being the day of the birthday of GDR. But Lara, the nurse, revealed the truth. Christiane appreciates thus, without anything to make some appear, with the immense efforts of her son to spare her fragile heart. The evening, Christiane is alone in her room, it sees the fireworks in the honor of the reunification through the curtains because it must remain lengthened, it falls asleep and does not awake any more, its last will is that its ashes are widespread in the sky. Alex creates a small rocket filled with fire of artifices in which it puts ashes of his mother and, in the presence of some neighbors and some friends, it makes it leave the roof of the hospital.

Comments

The film rained with the public of both Germany by the realistic and simple description of the daily life in German Democratic republic since the traditional mark of Cornichon S to the heroes of the mode like Sigmund Jähn, first German with being gone in the space and hero of Alex in film. (see Ostalgie)

A scene marked the spirits by the shock which it causes on the character of Christiane as much as by average the techniques employed: displacement by Hélitreuillage of a massive statue of Lénine which explains the title of film.

Data sheet

Distribution

  • Daniel Brühl: Alexander Kerner
  • Katrin Hopper: Christiane Kerner
  • Maria Simon: ARIANE Kerner
  • Chulpan Khamatova: Lara
  • Florian Lukas : Denis Domaschke
  • Alexander Beyer: To groove
  • Burghart Klaussner: The father
  • Michael Gwisdek: Klapprath
  • Christine Schorn: Mrs Schäfer
  • Jürgen Holtz: Mr Ganske
  • Jochen Stern: Mr Mehlert
  • Stefan Walz: Sigmund Jähn
  • Eberhard Kirchberg : Dr. Wagner
  • Hans-Uwe Bauer: Dr. Mewes
  • Nico Ledermueller: Alexander Kerner (11 years)

Rewards

The film was a great success as much in the west that in the east of the Germany, like in several European countries. It gained the Deutschen Filmpreis (Price of German film) nine times: better film, Daniel Brühl better actor, Florian Lukas male best supporting role, better realizer, three technical prices for the assembly, the setting in scene and music, as well as the price of the public for “German film of the year” and the actor of the year for Daniel Brühl.

The December 6th 2003, it is the first German film to receive the price of the European film of the year. Daniel Brühl as actor and Bernd Lichtenberg as scenario writer also received this price.

In France, the film accepted the César better European film.

See also on the Fabric

  • Official site
  • Card IMDb

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