Alexander Beyer, Burghart Klausner, Chulpan Khamatova

October, 1989 was a bad time to fall into a coma if you lived in East Germany--and this is precisely what happened to Alex's proudly socialist mother. Alex has a big problem on his hands when she sudd...( read more  read more... )enly awakens eight months later. Her heart is so weak that any shock might kill her. And what could be more shocking than the fall of the Berlin Wall and the triumph of capitalism in her beloved East Germany? To save his mother, Alex transforms the family apartment into an island of the past, a kind of socialist-era museum where his mother is lovingly duped into believing that nothing has changed. What begins as a little white lie turns into a major scam as Alex's sister and selected neighbors are recruited to maintain the elaborate ruse-- and keep her believing that Lenin really did win after all!

Flixster Users

92% liked it

46,839 ratings

Critics

89% liked it

102 critics

R, 2 hrs. 1 min.

Directed by: Wolfgang Becker

Release Date: February 27, 2004

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: August 10, 2004

Stats: 3,108 reviews

Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Your Rating



clear rating
Share on: Facebook Twitter

Flixster Reviews (3,108)


  • September 30, 2009
    "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."

    In 1990, to protect his fragile mother from a ...( read more)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.

    REVIEW

    I know it takes a lot to tempt non-addicts into the cinema to see a foreign language film, but this is one that is worth it, honest. An improbably yet believable and endearing storyline, Goodbye Lenin gives you history, irresistible and original humour, and depth of human emotion, underplayed as in all good European cinema, that leaves you feeling more satisfied than if it were only for laughs.

    East Germany, shortly before the Berlin Wall goes down. A young man's mother has a heart attack and wakes up from a after the wall has come down. To prevent further shocks, her son and his friends arrange her flat to make her believe nothing has changed.

    Goodbye Lenin! is a triumph on so many levels, with the main - and most important - one being a complete surprise; the film, by the end, delivers an emotional wallop in the most subtle of ways, thanks to the brilliant screenplay, excellent direction and the perfectly nuanced performances from the two main characters, the son (the superb Daniel Bruhl, who reminded me of Jake Gyllenhaal) and the mother (the sublime Kathrin Sass, who reminded me of Patricia Clarkson). The entire movie is inspired, and I especially liked how the mother is never depicted as a victim, although she spends nearly the entire movie bed-ridden. This is yet another coup, in a movie that is literally filled with them.

    A beautiful film, and a valuable one.
  • September 14, 2009
    Alexander Beyer's performance is brilliant in this quirky German film set during the fall of the Berlin wall. Wolfgang Becker really needs to make more films.
  • October 18, 2008
    ridiculously good, kinda depressing though
  • June 29, 2008
    Alex's mother falls into a coma just as the Berlin Wall comes down. Eight months later, she wakes up. Alex is told that any stress can give his mom another heart attack, so he decides to hide the fact that East Germany has fallen.

    I enjoyed this movie. I could see why Alex ...( read more)would behave like that, although it seemed silly to keep it going so long.
  • January 19, 2008
    better than usual drama but nothing on inarritu. it had some slightly ironic and amusing moments but they were all only moments. also let's be honest... it's not the type of film you can watch over and over again. okay for one view but that's all... touching on the first
  • November 19, 2009
    ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
  • November 14, 2009
    Uno dei miei preferitissssimi di sempre e per sempre <3
    Poi voglio dire, Daniel Brühl, ladies and gentlemen.
  • November 13, 2009
    C'est franchement génial!!
  • November 9, 2009
    This is one outstanding German film of the century. At first I thought the film was going to be "dry" due to my experiences of "Communism-related" films in the past. This film is not only entertaining. It's outrageously fun filled with family love through a persistent crazy idea ...( read more)of the son, out of his love and concern for mother's health--In addendum to a bit semi-tragic ending. It's definitely a 5 star film. A Must Watch!
  • November 8, 2009
    Película alemana del año 2003 en el que un joven que vivió en la RDA (República Democrática de Alemania, Alemania Oriental) y experimentó la reunificación narra sus esfuerzos para esconderle a su madre , socialista orgullosa que acaba de salir del coma, la verdad sobre el triunfo...( read more) del capitalismo, noticia tan dura que sin duda acabaría con su frágil salud.

    Wolfgang Becker, el director alemán que alcanzó el reconocimiento con esta película, nos narra una historia de amor que entremezcla el drama con la comedia y nos da una visión nostálgica de la Alemania que se fue que, a pesar de ser convincente para casi cualquier audiencia, solo un Alemán podría entender por completo.

    Y lo que, en el filme, comienza como una inocente mentirilla crece a proporciones inimaginables; y crea en la mente de ambos (de Alex y de su madre) la imagen de la RDA como debió de haber sido, siendo Alex y la gente que lo rodea sepultados bajo la avalancha en la que se convierte el fiasco.

    El joven Alex es llevado a crear un mundo de farsa al rededor de su madre por 2 razones; por un lado, el amor que siente por ella lo haría mover montañas con tal de evitar poner su vida en riesgo, y por el otro; aunque de forma implícita, la nostalgia que siente por un lugar que desapareció en poco tiempo y la fácil evasión que significa vivir en el pasado.

    Mientras transcurre la película, los secretos y las mentiras (del presente y del pasado) son revelados en la familia, y Alex, al descubrir la verdad sobre su padre decide hacer un último video para su madre, donde ambos contemplan (a pesar de que ella ya conocía la verdad) y se dejan sumergir en la idea de un país unido por el socialismo, una Alemania que nunca fue; por lo que solo Alex termina inmerso en su mentira.

    Un buen desarrollo de los personajes, a pesar de que se descuidan ciertos aspectos en ellos, Alex es muy bien retratado por Daniel Brühl y su madre es un personaje complejo que, por más obvia que se hace la verdad, ella sigue aferrada a sus ideas y se niega a decir adiós a Lenin.

    El filme tiene una buena fotografía y un trabajo de cámara que es por momentos innovador y por otros deficiente, pero que cumple con las expectativas del espectador.

    Una buena comedia dotada de una banda sonora bien utilizada que cumple con su cometido, y que a pesar de relacionarse con el drama, en ningún momento llega al sentimentalismo; una buena experiencia en todo momento.

    ***1/2

Critic Reviews


March 26, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

It is no doubt filled with references and in-jokes we do not quite understand. But the central idea travels well. full review

March 26, 2004
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

Good Bye, Lenin! beautifully mixes comedy, sentimentality, and cynicism. full review

March 25, 2004
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

A deft balance of wistful family drama and drollery. full review

March 19, 2004
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times

A film that's ostensibly about politics ... turns out to be a love story. full review

February 26, 2004
Edward Havens, FilmJerk.com

An enjoyable time at the movies, and a film that deserves the support of astute film audiences who are not bothered by reading subtitles at the movies. full review

View more Good Bye, Lenin reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • oreomoviejunkie
    September 18, 2007
    Could somebody *please* make me a skin of this amazing movie?
  • panchof28
    September 24, 2006
    a diferent look at german history

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Official Trailer

More Like This


Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Amelie (Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain)
    Amelie (Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain) (58%)
  • A fost sau n-a fost?, (12:08 East of Bucharest)
    A fost sau n-a fost?, (12:08 East of Buchares... (100%)
  • Joyeux Noël (Merry Christmas)
    Joyeux Noël (Merry Christmas) (70%)
  • Das Leben der Anderen (The Lives of Others)
    Das Leben der Anderen (The Lives of Others) (85%)

Facts


No facts approved yet. Be the first

Good Bye, Lenin : Watch Free on TV


Good Bye, Lenin Trivia


  • Which movie has this tagline : " The German Democratic Republic lives on – in 79 m²! "  Answer »
  • Which country is Good Bye Lenin! set in?  Answer »
  • 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.  Answer »
  • Which kind of food (that comes from Spreewald) tried to find Daniel Brühl for his mom in the reunificated Germany in Good bye Lenin:  Answer »

Recent News


No recent headlines. Got one?

Most Popular Skin