Good Bye Lenin! Movie Review

Good Bye Lenin! (2003)

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Written by: Bernd Lichtenberg (written by), Wolfgang Becker (co-author), Achim von Borries & Henk Handloegten &
Chris Silber (collaborator on screenplay)
Directed by: Wolfgang Becker
Starring: Daniel Brühl, Katrin Sass, Chulpan Khamatova, Florian Lukas, Maria Simon, Alexander Beyer
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
In this German language movie set during 1990, a young man protects his fragile mother from a fatal shock after a long coma, preventing her from learning that her beloved nation of East Germany as she knew it has disappeared.

Verdict
It's difficult to review this when I don't understand the concepts and experiences as deeply as a resident, but it is an interesting companion to The Lives of Others (2006) which presents East Germany as much more dangerous and nefarious. That movie made the country very scary. This film isn't looking at the morality of the government, but the nostalgia a family has for the only life it knows. It's not about which side, but what it's like living there. Alex wants to protect his mother, and just maybe he's concerned about the rapid changes taking place which run counter to everything he's lived. He goes to great lengths to conceal the fall of East Germany. It's a good cause, but is it the right action? We know that ruse can only last for so long. There has to be a parallel with Alex and his country in continuing on a course of action when you know you should stop.
Watch It.

Review
Context is crucial in this movie, so here's a quick primer based on my research. West Germany was allied with the U.S. and western Europe with a democratic government after World War II. East Germany was a one party Communist state controlled by the Soviet Union. Living conditions were better in the west, and many people fled East Germany through Berlin. The Berlin Wall stood for nearly thirty years. Protests, economic failures, and political mistakes sparked the demise of the wall. The Wall's fall marked the end of the Cold War, and East Germany collapsed starting the reunification of the countries. Vladimir Lenin was the founder of the Communist party that shaped East Germany, he wasn't directly involved in the country. Lenin died twenty-five years before East Germany was founded. I can't imagine what it's like to live under this oppressive regime for most of your life, and then the wall is demolished. Now the world has opened, residents have freedom.

Alex's (Daniel Brühl) mother Christiane (Katrin Sass) grows depressed after her husband cheats and leaves. After she recovers, she devotes her time to East Germany's socialist party in finding purpose and to rebuild her life. Alex participates in a demonstration against East Germany's 40th anniversary. He's beaten and detained by cops, and his mother sees this and has a heart attack before lapsing into a coma. During that, General Secretary Honecker resigns and the wall comes down.  Christiane missed the first free elections and the Westernization of her country. Her children's lives move on, evolving into a better way of life. Alex used to repair televisions, now he installs satellites.

Daniel Brühl plays Alex

This is set in 1990, so The Matrix (1999) shirt Alex's friend Denis wears immediately threw me. The goof is explained as an idea about Alex's mother's simulated reality. That could be it or just a great cover for a mistake.

Christiane miraculously wakes up, but due to her weakened condition the doctor cautions them that she needs to be shielded  from any kind of excitement. Alex is concerned that the fall of her country would be too much for her to bear. He must protect her from the fall of the wall. He wants to fool his mom and pretend the wall never fell, though his sister doesn't agree. Part of it is that she doesn't want to go back to this sparse, controlled life. She finally relents for their mother.

Alex gets his mom and old life back. It's not about the quality of life, but a life with which he's familiar. I don't think he likes East Germany better, but it's all he's known. That combined with his mom's condition has caused him to long for life before his mom was in a coma. Immediately upon bringing Christiane back Alex runs into issues. She's used to the cheap East German food, but now grocery stores have nicer products. He has to buy food and empty it into old containers to maintain the ruse.

We know the charade is destined to fail, but what will trip them up? How long will it continue?

Due to his job, Alex can get television recordings, so when his mom wants a television in her room he uses the old tapes. That eventually becomes Alex and Denis creating fake news stories to explain inconsistencies when a Coca-Cola banner appears outside her window. The 'news' purports it as a socialist invention. How far do you go? Alex is telling many white lies for a good cause, but is it the correct response? He's holding on to what he knows, but is it just easier for him to live in the past? He seemed to adapt well enough when the wall fell, but maybe he missed his mom and didn't mind an excuse to go back in time. We see the changes in East Germany and the rise of capitalism predominantly through Coca-Cola and Burger King logos.

Daniel Brühl, Katrin Sass, Chulpan Khamatova, Maria Simon play Alex, Christiane, Lara, Ariane

Christiane manages to wander out and leave the apartment while Alex is asleep. She's in an unfamiliar world, but I wasn't sure if she realized what was happening. Alex has to create additional 'news stories' to account for what she saw. It's the lies we tell ourself. At this point, the ruse is as much for Alex as it is for his mom. Christiane admits her father defected to the West and she was supposed to follow, but she was afraid of change. It's not much different from what Alex is undertaking.

Alex finally decides to reveal the truth with a new 'news segment' reporting the borders will be opened. What Alex doesn't know is that his girlfriend Lara had already told his mom the truth. She doesn't reveal it to Alex, and he thinks she still believes in her country.

This social construct Alex creates feels relevant to the world today. Alex, like his country, was clinging to an ideal that didn't work. People create and believe their own truth. It's easier to live in what you know and what you want to believe than to accept the world for what it is.