Review of Good Bye, Lenin! (2003) by Eggmanstudio — 03 May 2015

For every country there is a film, or several films, which truly represent their country of origin – for example “Amélie” for France, or perhaps the James Bond series for Britain. In my opinion, the film “Good Bye, Lenin!” fills this space for Germany, not only because of its historical setting.

This film contains one of Daniel Brühl’s earliest roles as Alex – later, he featured in such films as Inglorious Basterds and Rush. His portrayal of his character in this film, however, is only one part of a fantastic cast – particularly notable are Katrin Sass (who was already a well-known actress before Germany’s reunification) as Alex and Ariane’s bedridden mother Christiane, and Burghart Klaussner as their father Robert. The powerful portrayals of every character in this film, collectively, are one of the main reasons why this film is so believable. The feelings shown give a sense of immersion – you’re right there with Alex through all the confusion, happiness, pride and sadness.

The film is set directly before and after the reunification of Germany, however this historical setting is merely a background which supports the real plot – and said plot is a delicious mix of humour, drama and tension as Alex attempts to recreate the GDR for his mother, and also learns through this what his mother actually believed in – not necessarily the GDR’s government, but socialism as an ideal. In that sense the film touches on the “Ostalgia” which many former east Germans felt after the fall of the Wall by showing a different, rarely-seen perspective of the reunification, not only through Alex and his experiences, but also with the others who were once respected, but who are now out of work and feel worthless as a result – this serves to make the historical setting even more believable. Perhaps one could also say that Christiane serves as a metaphor for this “ostalgia”, in that she is kept in the past by Alex, and doesn’t realise that the GDR no longer exists as a result.

All in all, “Good Bye, Lenin!” is not only a masterpiece of film, but also a wonderful culturl achievement. Original, exciting and tragic, it could possibly be described as the German Film of the 21st century.