7.7/10
138,276
246 user 160 critic

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.

Director:

Wolfgang Becker

Writers:

Bernd Lichtenberg, Achim von Borries (collaborator on screenplay) | 3 more credits »
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Popularity
4,930 ( 381)
Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 36 wins & 21 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Daniel Brühl ... Alex
Katrin Saß ... Mutter
Chulpan Khamatova ... Lara
Maria Simon ... Ariane
Florian Lukas ... Denis
Alexander Beyer ... Rainer
Burghart Klaußner ... Alex' Vater
Michael Gwisdek ... Klapprath
Christine Schorn Christine Schorn ... Frau Schäfer
Jürgen Holtz Jürgen Holtz ... Herr Ganske
Jochen Stern Jochen Stern ... Herr Mehlert
Stefan Walz Stefan Walz ... Sigmund Jähn
Eberhard Kirchberg Eberhard Kirchberg ... Dr. Wagner
Hans-Uwe Bauer Hans-Uwe Bauer ... Dr. Mewes
Nico Ledermueller Nico Ledermueller ... Alex - 11 Jahre (as Nico Ledermüller)
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Storyline

East Germany, the year 1989: A young man protests against the regime. His mother watches the police arresting him and suffers a heart attack and falls into a coma. Some months later, the DDR does not exist anymore and the mother awakes. Since she has to avoid every excitement, the son tries to set up the DDR again for her in their flat. But the world has changed a lot. Written by Benjamin Stello

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Die DDR lebt weiter -- auf 79 qm! See more »

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Certificate:

14A | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The T-shirt Alex (Daniel Brühl) wears for most of the film bears the pre-unification logo of Motorradwerk Zschopau, better known as the MZ motorcycle company. See more »

Goofs

A bottle of red Blanchet brand wine is shown, but when the wall came down, there was only Blanchet white wine. See 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.
See more »

Crazy Credits

Renowned German actor Jürgen Vogel plays the chicken in the supermarket and is credited as "Das Küken" ("young chicken"). See more »

Connections

Features Unser Sandmännchen (1959) See more »

Soundtracks

Staryy otel
Music by Evgeniy Khavtan
Lyrics by Karen Kavaleryan
Performed by Bravo and Zhanna Aguzarova
See more »

User Reviews

 
Funny, Sad, Intelligent ....
15 October 2004 | by CelluloidRehabSee all my reviews

This story has it all : family tragedy, growth (from child to adult and even growth as an adult), dealing with political and social change, and romance. I think the story gives one a good idea of just how much change occurred when the Iron Curtain fell over Eastern Europe and the difficulties and opportunities it brought. The story revolves around Alex, his sister and their mother. Their mother has a heart attack and then goes into a coma. During her coma, communism fell and then she wakes up. Advised by her doctor that she cannot take any form of excitement, Alex goes about creating the illusion that communism is alive and well. This often takes a comical twist on the differences between the communist east and capitalist west. There is also the subtle hint of discrimination by both sides against the other. In the end the story is about family and loved ones and what we are willing to do to make those around us happy. Go out and rent this movie.

-Celluloid Rehab


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Details

Country:

Germany

Language:

German | English | Russian

Release Date:

13 February 2003 (Germany) See more »

Also Known As:

Au revoir Lénine! See more »

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Box Office

Budget:

EUR4,800,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$57,968, 29 February 2004

Gross USA:

$4,064,200

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$79,316,957
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color | Black and White (archive footage)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See full technical specs »

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