Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysAPA Heritage MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)

Good Bye Lenin!

  • 20032003
  • RR
  • 2h 1m
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
145K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Daniel Brühl and Katrin Sass in Good Bye Lenin! (2003)
  • Comedy
  • Drama
  • Romance
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.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.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.
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
145K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Wolfgang Becker
  • Writers
    • Bernd Lichtenberg
    • Wolfgang Becker(author)
    • Achim von Borries(collaborator on screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Daniel Brühl
    • Katrin Sass
    • Chulpan Khamatova
Top credits
  • Director
    • Wolfgang Becker
  • Writers
    • Bernd Lichtenberg
    • Wolfgang Becker(author)
    • Achim von Borries(collaborator on screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Daniel Brühl
    • Katrin Sass
    • Chulpan Khamatova
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 253User reviews
    • 155Critic reviews
    • 68Metascore
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
      • 36 wins & 23 nominations total

    Photos81

    Daniel Brühl and Chulpan Khamatova in Good Bye Lenin! (2003)
    Daniel Brühl and Florian Lukas in Good Bye Lenin! (2003)
    Daniel Brühl and Chulpan Khamatova in Good Bye Lenin! (2003)
    Katrin Sass in Good Bye Lenin! (2003)
    Daniel Brühl in Good Bye Lenin! (2003)
    Daniel Brühl and Katrin Sass in Good Bye Lenin! (2003)
    Daniel Brühl, Katrin Sass, and Maria Simon in Good Bye Lenin! (2003)
    Alexander Beyer and Maria Simon in Good Bye Lenin! (2003)
    Daniel Brühl in Good Bye Lenin! (2003)
    Daniel Brühl in Good Bye Lenin! (2003)
    Daniel Brühl in Good Bye Lenin! (2003)
    Katrin Sass in Good Bye Lenin! (2003)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Daniel Brühl
    Daniel Brühl
    • Alexas Alex
    Katrin Sass
    Katrin Sass
    • Mutteras Mutter
    Chulpan Khamatova
    Chulpan Khamatova
    • Laraas Lara
    Florian Lukas
    Florian Lukas
    • Denisas Denis
    Maria Simon
    Maria Simon
    • Arianeas Ariane
    Alexander Beyer
    Alexander Beyer
    • Raineras Rainer
    Burghart Klaußner
    Burghart Klaußner
    • Alex' Vateras Alex' Vater
    Michael Gwisdek
    Michael Gwisdek
    • Klapprathas Klapprath
    Christine Schorn
    • Frau Schäferas Frau Schäfer
    Jürgen Holtz
    • Herr Ganskeas Herr Ganske
    Jochen Stern
    • Herr Mehlertas Herr Mehlert
    Stefan Walz
    • Sigmund Jähnas Sigmund Jähn
    Eberhard Kirchberg
    • Dr. Wagneras Dr. Wagner
    Hans-Uwe Bauer
    • Dr. Mewesas Dr. Mewes
    Nico Ledermueller
    • Alex - 11 Jahreas Alex - 11 Jahre
    • (as Nico Ledermüller)
    Jelena Kratz
    • Ariane - 13 Jahreas Ariane - 13 Jahre
    Laureen Hatscher
    • Baby Paula - 1 Jahras Baby Paula - 1 Jahr
    Felicitas Hatscher
    • Baby Paula - 1 Jahras Baby Paula - 1 Jahr
    • Director
      • Wolfgang Becker
    • Writers
      • Bernd Lichtenberg
      • Wolfgang Becker(author)
      • Achim von Borries(collaborator on screenplay)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

    More like this

    The Wave
    7.6
    The Wave
    Run Lola Run
    7.7
    Run Lola Run
    The Edukators
    7.4
    The Edukators
    The Baader Meinhof Complex
    7.3
    The Baader Meinhof Complex
    The Experiment
    7.7
    The Experiment
    Sun Alley
    6.8
    Sun Alley
    The Lives of Others
    8.4
    The Lives of Others
    Sophie Scholl: The Final Days
    7.6
    Sophie Scholl: The Final Days
    Schmetterlinge
    7.2
    Schmetterlinge
    Me and Kaminski
    6.6
    Me and Kaminski
    Look Who's Back
    7.0
    Look Who's Back
    Next Door
    6.9
    Next Door

    Storyline

    Edit
    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. —Benjamin Stello
    • coma
    • german democratic republic
    • capitalism
    • political activism
    • german reunification
    • 205 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • Die DDR lebt weiter -- auf 79 qm!
    • Genres
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Romance
    • Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
      • Rated R for brief language and sexuality
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The story is loosely based on the last two years of Vladimir Lenin's life, living in a controlled environment similar to what is portrayed in the film. With the justification that over-excitement might cause Lenin health problems, Iosif Stalin had printed for him one-copy edition newspapers, censored of all news about the political struggles of the time.
    • Goofs
      Denis wears a "digital rain"-style T-shirt in 1989 because he has developed the idea himself and has come up with an idea for a film exactly like The Matrix (1999), which he describes in a deleted scene (the letters are not identical to the Matrix scheme.) The joke is that the idea originated in East Germany; compare the claim in one of Denis's fake news shows that the Coca-Cola formula was invented there. It also ties in to the film's main theme of keeping people in a simulated reality.
    • Quotes

      Sigmund Jähn: Socialism doesn't mean live behind a Wall. Socialism means reach the others and live with the others.

    • Crazy credits
      Renowned German actor Jürgen Vogel plays the chicken in the supermarket and is credited as "Das Küken" ("young chicken").
    • Connections
      Featured in The 61st Annual Golden Globe Awards (2004)
    • Soundtracks
      Mocca-Milch-Eisbar
      Written by Thomas Natschinski and Hartmut König

    User reviews253

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Refreshing
    This was a good film, and I think it needed to be made. A way of life disappeared in Europe, perhaps forever, and it seems appropriate that the fall of Communism has thus been documented.

    The basic premise of "Goodbye Lenin" is that the young man's mother is in a coma over the months when the Berlin Wall is coming down. She wakes up (oblivious) in united Germany, but as she is so fragile she cannot be allowed to know that everything she held dear has collapsed. What ensues is a comic and moving scenario - her son does his best to pretend that nothing has changed.

    Yes, the movie is a little drawn-out. And most of the comedy is lost on non-Germans, or those unaware of the political climate in the region. However, there are clear universal issues to be considered; idealism, hope, family. There is one particular scene which I thought encompassed exactly how the main protagonist feels - he is at a bank trying to change his mother's old East German currency into Deutschmarks but the deadline has passed. He becomes aggravated by the sheep-like behaviour of his peers. After all, this is their culture being crushed by McCapitalism, but their individual vaunting ambition blinds them from doing something about it. Very refreshing to see this on the big screen.

    All in all, "Goodbye Lenin" is a nicely-rounded statement of where the European film industry is heading, and it will appeal to most independent-minded people on both an artistic and political level. 8/10.
    helpful•119
    18
    • michael_robert_burns
    • Jan 6, 2005

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 14, 2004 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • Germany
    • Official sites
      • German Cinema Archive
      • Océan Films (France)
    • Languages
      • German
      • English
      • Russian
    • Also known as
      • Goodbye Lenin!
    • Filming locations
      • Alexanderplatz, Mitte, Berlin, Germany
    • Production companies
      • X-Filme Creative Pool
      • Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR)
      • ARTE
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • €4,800,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $4,064,200
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $57,968
      • Feb 29, 2004
    • Gross worldwide
      • $79,316,957
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 1 minute
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

    Russian Actress Goes Into Exile In Latvia: Chulpan Khamatova Says “I Am Not A Traitor”
    Russian Actress Goes Into Exile In Latvia: Chulpan Khamatova Says “I Am Not A Traitor”
    Mar 26Deadline Film + TV
    Russian filmmakers speak out in growing numbers against the war in Ukraine
    Russian filmmakers speak out in growing numbers against the war in Ukraine
    Feb 27ScreenDaily

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Daniel Brühl and Katrin Sass in Good Bye Lenin! (2003)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Good Bye Lenin! (2003) officially released in Japan in Japanese?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    The 10 Most Anticipated Marvel and DC Movies
    See the full list
    View list
    List
    2022 TV Guide: The Best Shows Coming This Year
    See the full list

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.