Germany, 2003
Director: Wolfgang Becker
Score: ****

It is not difficult to envisage why Wolfgang Becker’s bittersweet comedy drama GOOD, BYE LENIN! came about to be the highest grossing film in Germany of all time. The film is a well-intentioned carefully plotted tale complete with family values (there is a mother, son, daughter and absent father), historical cynicism and moral values that neither offends nor take sides be in the socialist eastern or the democratic western bloc.  Entertaining, relevant and timely, it has sufficient substance to enthrall even those not so familiar with German current affairs.

Poor socialist mother, Christiane (Katrin Sass) suffers a heart attack and goes into a coma for the period of time the Berlin wall is demolished.  To prevent shock that probably might lead to another attack, her teenage son Alex (Daniel Bruhl) keeps the news of the new Germany from her.  Bringing her back to the little apartment, he furnishes it with all the ‘old eastern Germany’, complete with hard to find groceries (Spreeewald pickles and Moccca Fix coffee), carpet, furniture and the like.  This is no simple task as Christiane wishes to watch television and walk about.  So, he fabricates news items and videotapes his own creations, passing them off as news to her.  There is plenty of material to play about here and director Becker takes the first half of the film to reveal how easy (while tricky) it is to put such a scheme into place. 

GOOD BYE, LENIN! could easily have fallen into satirical farce and it would be interesting to contemplate how good a film that might have turned out.  But it is difficult to fault what Becker has done – to give the majority of Germans what they preferred, which is a light hearted comedy with heart.  Still intelligence abounds with Alex’s search for his real father standing in for his desire for a real utopian ‘Fatherland’.  Particularly comical is what sister Ariane (Maria Simon), working at Burger King says to her dad meeting him after a long period of years: “Enjoy your meal and thank you for choosing Burger King”.  No person is displayed as all knowing or perfect.  Alex has flaws, as pointed out by Ariane and girlfriend, Lara (Florian Lukas).

What is also striking about this movie is the way director Wolfgang Becker craftily imposes his ‘Utopia’ – a blend of east and west, where west German refugees flood the east and the rat race is replaced by people working their best with their good intentions- to his audience.  Yet this is a brave new ideal place to live it, even though it arrives complete with flaws.  It is without doubt that non-Germans will miss out on most of the local humour (especially during the scene of mother’s birthday celebrations), but enough good-will and ideas exist for all viewers to be entertained.

Review by Gilbert Seah.