IMDb > Good Bye Lenin! (2003)
Good Bye Lenin!
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Good Bye Lenin! (2003) More at IMDbPro »

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Good Bye Lenin! (2003) -- In 1990, to protect his fragile mother from a fatal shock after a long coma; a young man must keep her from learning that her beloved nation of East Germany as she knew it has disappeared.
Good Bye Lenin! (2003) -- Sinematurk - Trailer (Flash)

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Overview

User Rating:
7.8/10   31,746 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 47% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Bernd Lichtenberg (written by) and
Wolfgang Becker (co-author)
Contact:
View company contact information for Goodbye Lenin! on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
13 February 2003 (Germany) more
Genre:
Tagline:
Die DDR lebt weiter -- auf 79 qm! more
Plot:
In 1990, to protect his fragile mother from a fatal shock after a long coma; a young man must keep her from learning that her beloved nation of East Germany as she knew it has disappeared. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 31 wins & 14 nominations more
User Comments:
A beautiful portrayal of family and politics more (206 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Daniel Brühl ... Alexander 'Alex' Kerner
Katrin Saß ... Christiane Kerner (as Kathrin Sass)
Chulpan Khamatova ... Lara
Maria Simon ... Ariane Kerner

Florian Lukas ... Denis

Alexander Beyer ... Rainer
Burghart Klaußner ... Robert Kerner
Michael Gwisdek ... Klapprath
Christine Schorn ... Frau Schäfer
Jürgen Holtz ... Herr Ganske
Jochen Stern ... Herr Mehlert
Stefan Walz ... Sigmund Jähn
Eberhard Kirchberg ... Dr. Wagner
Hans-Uwe Bauer ... Dr. Mewes
Nico Ledermueller ... Alex - 11 Jahre (as Nico Ledermüller)
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
79 qm DDR (Germany) (working title)
Goodbye Lenin! (International: English title)
more
MPAA:
Rated R for brief language and sexuality.
Runtime:
121 min | Argentina:112 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Black and White (archive footage) | Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Although never mentioned throughout the movie, the family's flat is located in the Friedrichshain district of East Berlin. more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: When Alex first enters the hospital to pay a visit to his mother, there are modern green emergency exit signs. more
Quotes:
Alexander Kerner: On the evening of October 7, 1989 several hundred people got together for some evening exercise and marched for the right to go for walks without the Berlin Wall getting in their way. more
Movie Connections:
References The Matrix (1999) more
Soundtrack:
Comptine d'Un Autre Été: L'après Midi more

FAQ

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30 out of 33 people found the following comment useful.
A beautiful portrayal of family and politics, 9 December 2004
7/10
Author: The_Void from Beverley Hills, England

The concept of this movie, which is that a young man has to do all in his power to stop his mother who is recovering from a heart attack learning of what's happened to Germany while she was in a coma, is absolutely delicious, but it's a premise that could easily go wrong. However, I'm pleased to report that it certainly didn't go wrong, and through interesting characterisation, a great script and some thought-provoking ideas; Good Bye, Lenin! is a winner all the way! An excellent ensemble gives way to a story that has a lot of heart, and one that makes it's points - both politically and otherwise - without the use of a sledgehammer. Good Bye, Lenin! is one of those films that is what you make of it; on the one hand, it's a touching and entertaining story of a boy's journey into adulthood and his love for his mother, but on the other hand; it's a biting political satire that intertwines themes of how our perception of certain truths can impact our lives.

Daniel Brühl, a young Spanish talent, takes the lead role as 'Alex', the young man at the centre of the tale. Through his subtle acting, Daniel is able to capture the determination and adoration that epitomise his character wonderfully. He is joined by the beautiful Chulpan Khamatova, Maria Simon and Alexander Beyer, who lend support to Brühl, as his girlfriend, sister and sister's boyfriend respectively, along with Kathrin Sass, who takes the central role of the mother recovering from a heart attack. I can't pick a single fault with any one of them. The setting of the fall of the Berlin Wall serves as a great place to set this story, as it allows the film to give a commentary on the changes of Germany's political landscape at the same time as allowing us to take in themes of family, love and the perception of truth that are abundantly clear. There aren't many bad things that I can say about it, and the only one really is that it can be a bit over sentimental at times. On the whole, however, Good Bye, Lenin! is an absolute treat and most certainly one of the better movies to have been released so far this decade.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Good Bye Lenin! (2003)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Other Berlin movies? Help! mSpivey
Good Bye Lenin touches upon an Asian value AquaExecution
Did the mother know all along? colokatt-1
Films similar to this? lookdowntoseeme
How to Spot a Communist.... prazakmica
Who else cried for the ending?. bscale
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