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Good Bye Lenin!

  • 2003
  • R
  • 2h 1m
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
156K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,720
676
Daniel Brühl and Chulpan Khamatova in Good Bye Lenin! (2003)
Goodbye, Lenin! Scene: Title Treatment
Play clip2:04
Watch Goodbye, Lenin! Scene: Title Treatment
6 Videos
99+ Photos
SatireComedyDramaRomance

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.

  • Director
    • Wolfgang Becker
  • Writers
    • Bernd Lichtenberg
    • Wolfgang Becker
    • Achim von Borries
  • Stars
    • Daniel Brühl
    • Katrin Sass
    • Chulpan Khamatova
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.7/10
    156K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    4,720
    676
    • Director
      • Wolfgang Becker
    • Writers
      • Bernd Lichtenberg
      • Wolfgang Becker
      • Achim von Borries
    • Stars
      • Daniel Brühl
      • Katrin Sass
      • Chulpan Khamatova
    • 268User reviews
    • 127Critic reviews
    • 68Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
      • 36 wins & 22 nominations total

    Videos6

    Goodbye, Lenin! Scene: Title Treatment
    Clip 2:04
    Goodbye, Lenin! Scene: Title Treatment
    Goodbye, Lenin! Scene: Ready To Roll
    Clip 2:26
    Goodbye, Lenin! Scene: Ready To Roll
    Goodbye, Lenin! Scene: Ready To Roll
    Clip 2:26
    Goodbye, Lenin! Scene: Ready To Roll
    Goodbye, Lenin! Scene: East Vs. West
    Clip 1:01
    Goodbye, Lenin! Scene: East Vs. West
    Goodbye, Lenin! Scene: Restoring The Room
    Clip 0:39
    Goodbye, Lenin! Scene: Restoring The Room
    Goodbye, Lenin! Scene: The Future Lay In Our Hands
    Clip 0:58
    Goodbye, Lenin! Scene: The Future Lay In Our Hands
    Goodbye, Lenin! Scene: This Was Our Money
    Clip 1:10
    Goodbye, Lenin! Scene: This Was Our Money

    Photos131

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    Top cast88

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    Daniel Brühl
    Daniel Brühl
    • Alex Kerner
    Katrin Sass
    Katrin Sass
    • Mutter Christiane Kerner
    • (as Katrin Saß)
    Chulpan Khamatova
    Chulpan Khamatova
    • Lara
    Florian Lukas
    Florian Lukas
    • Denis
    Maria Simon
    Maria Simon
    • Ariane
    Alexander Beyer
    Alexander Beyer
    • Rainer
    Burghart Klaußner
    Burghart Klaußner
    • Robert Kerner - Alex' Vater
    Michael Gwisdek
    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)
    Jelena Kratz
    • Ariane - 13 Jahre
    Laureen Hatscher
    • Baby Paula - 1 Jahr
    Felicitas Hatscher
    • Baby Paula - 1 Jahr
    • Director
      • Wolfgang Becker
    • Writers
      • Bernd Lichtenberg
      • Wolfgang Becker
      • Achim von Borries
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews268

    7.7156.4K
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    Featured reviews

    7The_Void

    A beautiful portrayal of family and politics

    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.
    Buddy-51

    clever and amusing comedy

    Just as Rip Van Winkle slept through the American Revolution and woke up twenty years later to find himself a citizen of a brand new country, so Kathrin Sass, an East German woman, slips into a coma on the eve of the fall of the Berlin Wall only to wake up eight months later a member of a capitalist society. This is the premise of 'Good Bye Lenin,' a clever and affectionate tale about truth, love and family ties that transcends all national borders and boundaries.

    Kathrin, a woman who has dedicated her life to the perpetuation of Communist Party ideology, suffers a major heart attack that plunges her into a comatose state a few months prior to the dissolution of the land she knows as East Germany. While she is 'asleep,' governments tumble, barriers crumble and a whole new tide of Western goods and values comes flooding eastwards to a ravenous, eagerly awaiting public. Then she wakes up. Fearing that the shock of finding such a radically changed world will lead to a second heart attack, her loving son, Alex, devises an elaborate scheme to shield her from the truth and to make her believe that the world she lives in now is the same world she knew eight months before (the basic premise is not that different from the one in 'Jacob the Liar').

    'Good Bye Lenin!' is an amusing regional comedy that derives its laughs from two basic sources: the near-slapstick nature of the charade Alex is attempting to perpetrate, and the script's satirical view of a society rushing madly to embrace the joys of unbridled consumerism they have been so long denied. Given its gimmicky premise, 'Good Bye Lenin!' could have emerged as a one-joke comedy were it not for the fine sense of irony and absurdity that writer/director Wolfgang Becker (working with co-writer Bernd Lichtenberg) has brought to the project. In addition, young Daniel Bruhl as Alex and Katrin Sab as Kathrin deliver expert, moving performances that go to the very essence of the mother/child relationship.

    I must confess that this film, despite its generally upbeat tone, brings with it a certain rueful sadness that the filmmakers may not exactly have intended. Could it really have been a mere fifteen years ago that the events depicted in this film actually happened - a mere fifteen years ago that the future of the human race seemed so full of joy, hope and promise? Now, in a post 9/11 world - where sectarian hatred and international terrorism rule the day - this image of people coming together to cast off the shackles of bondage and embrace freedom seems already like a quaint memory from the long distant past. In a strange way, the film has become something of a relic in its own time, outstripped by a world that has long since moved on to bigger and more dire concerns. 'Good Bye Lenin' reminds us of just how long ago and far away the Cold War really was.
    9mike-1230

    Excellent film

    I didn't have too many expectations for this film. My partner pitched it to me as a comedy, and I hadn't seen the trailer in a while so I went into thinking that's all it would be. Instead, it really was a sublimely sophisticated film.

    I had the good fortune to see East Berlin first in July 1989 (there was *ZERO* hint that the wall would be down in 4 months) and then in February 1990. It was an amazing before and after, and I thought this film captured this very well. As a visitor to the East for several months that year, this film really brought back to me the East European Quiet Revolution when everything really did change.

    The characters going through that change are of course an allegory for the changes all around them- '40 years gone! They sold us up river!' says an old man who represents those who 'lost' in the reunification contrasted to those who won-the youth. Similarly, the contrast of personal re-unification (the children and their father) vs that of the east and west is a wonderfully treated theme through the film…. And of course lies. Lies to comfort us, lies to deal with other lies. A very, very touching film.
    Cowman

    Hello, Masterpiece!

    The destruction of the Berlin Wall in 1989 was a historically significant event not just for the people of Germany, but also for much of the rest of the world. Aside from reuniting two vastly different political systems, this remarkable incident marked a turning point for the capitalist uprising occurring within many of the other socialist states. Filmmakers worldwide have since explored the causes and effects of the German Reunification, and even today, they continue to bring new insight and a fresh perspective to an event that occurred nearly fifteen years ago. Wolfgang Becker's GOOD BYE, LENIN! is among the most recent of such films, and probably among the best of them as well.

    Rather than charging head-on at a specific political standing, GOOD BYE, LENIN! uses carefully controlled satire to poke fun at the absurdities of both communist and capitalist societies. And despite criticism from gung-ho supporters of either system, Becker is careful not to take sides or appear sympathetic toward any political institution. Instead of concentrating exclusively on the governmental changes of the newly reunified Germany, he wisely opts to narrow his focus on the effects that these changes have on one particular Berlin family. By doing this, Becker is able to show the challenges of adapting to a new, unfamiliar way of life in a context that is much more personal and easier for the viewer to identify with.

    The humor in GOOD BYE, LENIN! is plentiful, and Becker takes advantage of every possible opportunity to fit in a comedic moment. Even during the most somber parts of the story, the film never lets go of its astute sense of humor; and because the humor is always thought-provoking and cleverly executed, it never feels forced or gratuitous. The running joke about Alex's unremitting quest for Spreewald pickle jars and the scene where Alex's bedridden mother is perplexed by the Coca-Cola banner hanging from the building across from hers' are brilliant examples of the movie's sharp, yet sensitive wit. Aside from just being funny in themselves, these bits work doubly well because of their uses of symbolism and metaphor. The Spreewald pickles, now impossible to find because of the fall of the GDR, are representative of the `good old days' when Alex was familiar with the ways of his country and when his mother was in good health. His almost frantic search for them shows his longing to return to the way things used to be. Likewise, the unfurling of the Coca-Cola banner is the perfect embodiment of all the capitalist changes occurring within the new Germany. Once you begin to see the Coca-Cola and Burger King logos, you know that capitalism has truly grabbed hold and that there is now no escaping its embrace, for better or for worse.

    GOOD BYE, LENIN! makes great use of this type of imagery to emphasize the country's transformation and to provide insight to the emotions of the main characters. A most notable instance of this is the scene where Alex's mother, a staunch supporter of socialism, finally leaves her home to a very different East Germany than the one she remembered. She then looks to the sky and sees a helicopter airlifting a statue of Lenin off the top of a building. As Lenin is being hauled away, his outstretched arm seems to be reaching out to her, as if he's calling out for her to rescue him and his ideals, and restore her beloved country.

    Alex's complex lies and meticulous attempts at preserving the past for his mother are innocent enough at first, but eventually they begin to take on a life of their own. The lengths he goes through to maintain the atmosphere of a bygone era and keep his mother happy are indeed funny, but they are also very tragic as well. Though the lies do work temporarily to keep his mother oblivious to the events outside of her apartment, they also plunge Alex and his family into such a deep pool of deception that they eventually lose their closeness with one another. The stress of keeping up the façade becomes unbearable for Alex, and at one point he even wishes his mother were dead.

    Other humor was purely cultural, and probably only appreciable by people who have actually experienced the Reunification. I noticed this only because of the native German family sitting in front of me at the theater, laughing in unison at dialogue and images that didn't look to me like they were meant to be interpreted as humorous. But still, even though the older generations of German people are likely to get more out of this movie, it is still a hilarious, heartfelt, and incredibly rewarding experience for people of all cultures and ethnicities.
    8itamarscomix

    Socially conscious black comedy

    'Good Bye, Lenin!' is a fascinating German film that was for unclear reasons denied a best foreign film nomination in the recent Oscars, but I consider it one of the best films I've seen this year. 'Good Bye, Lenin!' is an entertaining and surreal black comedy, that doesn't really stand the test of logic and reality, but beneath the surface it's really a very socially conscious film, that gets across very well the atmosphere and problems of the post-communist East Germany.

    The story is of Alex, whose mother, a devoted member of the Communist Party, suffers a heart attack which sends her into a coma - through which she sleeps throughout the months of revolution and the fall of the communist regime. When she awakes, the doctors warn Alex not to cause his mother any anxiety or excitement; therefore, he goes to ludicrously immense lengths to keep her convinced that communism in East Berlin is still alive. Not much of it, once again, stands the test of reason, but it's incredibly witty and entertaining, and manages, throughout, to get across some powerful statements.

    'Good Bye, Lenin!' is both fun and important, a film which I recommend to everyone. Don't be afraid of European cinema; even though the film might be difficult to come by, it's very rewarding and well worth your time.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      CGI was used extensively to "de-Westernize" Berlin. Even though it's mostly shot in the former East Berlin and much of the film takes place after the fall of the wall, it's been Westernized since at a furious rate. Many ads for Western products had to be removed, and many colors had to be lightened or grayed significantly.
    • 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

      [last lines]

      [spoiler]

      Alexander Kerner: [voiceover] My mother outlived the GDR by three days. I believe it was a good thing she never learned the truth. She died happy. She wanted us to scatter her ashes to the winds. That's prohibited in Germany, both East and West. But we didn't care.

      [launches rocket]

      Alexander Kerner: She's up there somewhere now. Maybe looking down at us. Maybe she sees us as tiny specks on the Earth's surface, just like Sigmund Jähn did back then. The country my mother left behind was a country she believed in; a country we kept alive till her last breath; a country that never existed in that form; a country that, in my memory, I will always associate with my mother.

    • 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

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    FAQ18

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 14, 2004 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • Germany
    • Official sites
      • Official site (Germany)
      • Sony Picture Classics (United States)
    • 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

    Tech specs

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

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