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Good Bye Lenin! (2003)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
13 February 2003 (Germany) moreTagline:
Die DDR lebt weiter -- auf 79 qm! morePlot:
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 synopsisAwards:
Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 31 wins & 14 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(2 articles)
London Film Critics Snub 'Rings' (From Studio Briefing - Film News. 13 February 2004)
Film Sweeps Germany's Oscars
(From Studio Briefing - Film News. 13 June 2003)
User Comments:
Socially conscious black comedy moreCast
(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) |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
79 qm DDR (Germany) (working title)Goodbye Lenin! (International: English title)
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MPAA:
Rated R for brief language and sexuality.Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
121 min | Argentina:112 minCountry:
GermanyLanguage:
GermanAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 moreSound Mix:
Dolby DigitalCertification:
Iceland:L | Ireland:15 (IFCO) | South Korea:12 | New Zealand:M (DVD rating) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:M | Canada:14A | Canada:G (Québec) | Chile:TE | Denmark:7 | Finland:K-11 | France:U | Germany:6 (w) | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:12 | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) | Singapore:R(A) (original rating) | Spain:13 | Sweden:7 | UK:15 | USA:R | Peru:PT | Switzerland:12 (canton of Zurich) | Portugal:M/12Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The scene in the bank was filmed on 11 September 2001. Maria Simon later said that she found it very difficult to distinguish between acting and the unbelievable TV news from the real world. moreGoofs:
Anachronisms: A GT6N-type streetcar, which was not in service before 1995, can be seen in the summer of 1990. moreQuotes:
[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.
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Soundtrack:
Comptine d'Un Autre Été: L'après Midi moreFAQ
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'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.