Goodbye Lenin - film review 26

""A wicked red comedy about the inevitability of CHANGE and what happens when someone tries way too hard to resist."
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CREDITS

Production company (review):
Newtown Flicks

Producer (review):
Greg Punch

Editor (review):
Greg Punch

Film "Goodbye Lenin" Producer:
Stefan Arndt

Distributed by:
X Verleih AG (Germany)

Running time:
121 min

Year:
2003

Director:
Wolfgang Becker

Writers:
Wolfgang Becker
Bernd Lichtenberg

Cast:
Daniel Brühl
Katrin Saß
Chulpan Khamatova
Maria Simon
Alexander Beyer

Select images:
Freeze frames are taken from the film and / or officially released trailer / promotional video of the films
(see “Copyright and Fair Use” section below)

Posters / promotional images
(see “Copyright and Fair Use” section below)

Music:
From the sound track of "Goodbye Lenin"...
The "William Tell Overture" by Rossini

Other incidental music from the film by...
Yann Tiersen
Claire Pichet
Antonella Marafioti

"Gustav Sting"
"Covert Affair"
"Spring Thaw"
"Danse Macabre - Big Hit 1"

Select stock images / video / sound effects:

Autocue services:
Suzycue Australia

Further information:
Wikipedia listing...

Interview with writer director Wolfgang Becker...

Very worthy review and exploration of the early success of the film in Germany. Contains a very quotable line in, "Yearning for communist kitsch" :-)

The “further information” links are correct at the time of publication. Newtown Flicks can not be responsible for dead links or content moved or deleted from other sites after the publication date of this review.

Trailer:

Copyright and Fair Use:
The comments are those of the individual reviewer unless otherwise stated. Each review (spoken and written) is the property of the individual author of that review.

All rights to the film under review, including related promotional elements (e.g. video clips, freeze frames, production stills, posters, box cover art, etc) or materials relating to the documentation of a film's production (e.g. "on set" or "behind the scenes" photographs or interview comments from cast/crew), remains the exclusive property of the originators / legitimate owners of those elements.

Those elements are reproduced with the intention of "fair use" for the express purpose of review / critique of the film.

Newtown Flicks claims no ownership of this pre existing material and is diligent in ensuring the use is restricted to the relevant video review and related web site known as BETWEEN THE CRACKS.

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© 2017 Newtown Flicks.

[pedroramos]

What's interesting about the end, is that his mom looks at him knowing that HE is the one that hasn't accepted change yet. We finish the movie and he still thinks she didn't know how the transition happened. He created a version for her, but he believed in that version himself. She was told, earlier, by the nurse, what had really happened.

[nalandatendar]

The film is about love, to what length children go to comfort their mother. The chemistry between mother and son is also stunning. And it is about a culture clash. Also due to the humor (and family drama as reality was not as it seemed like and was as it was told) it is absolutely in my top 25 ever movies.

[JimJonesKoolaid]

Back in college my favorite class has a series of “German History through the Cinema” and this movie was meant to portray the “Ostslgie” or nostalgia of East Berlin. Outright my favorite movie of the class amongst absolute classics!

[frieda]

It is a drama but maybe this can only really be felt by germans, or East Germans in particular. The movie does make me feel a profound sadness from deep within. Sometimes unexplainable. Maybe its a long gone childhood that's reflected, the wallpapers, the humour...all of that and more. The feeling of being over run and and that all that was hard worked for and appreciated was now deemed unworthy and trash. Just a certain feeling that is gone and the movie captured THAT emotion really, really well.

[SgtRocko]

Thank you SO much for this wonderful review! As a former Soviet Pioneer, then Komsomol who had relatives in the DDR and visited them, this movie is so absolutely lovely, charming, and so, SO bittersweet. Watching this with 7 people - only ONE of whom hadn't lived in the Fraternal Socialist Brotherhood of Nations (the way of speaking comes back SO easily LOL), and who honestly thought of the Berlin Wall as The Anti-Fascist Bulwark, when we weren't laughing we had tears of And at the end we were all openly crying. But a good, sweet cry. It means a lot that you think people should see this. I adore this movie.

[andyroo]

Not to mention the MASTERFUL score! Yank Tiersen somehow expresses post-Soviet nostalgia, farfetched comedy, and intense emotion in his score for this movie.

[chrischibnall]

"Daniel Bruhl as Alex gained a major boost with this film.." so did Seewald Pickles!

[SiVlog]

I first came across Goodbye Lenin when my sister studied it as part of her university degree in French and German Linguistics. Without doubt it's my favourite foreign language film. I highly recommend it :)

[tomasbautista]

I like how talks about how the characters connect the heart and the humor with the film. Because, for me, is a movie made with the heart. When I see the movie for a moment I feel nostalgic about the culture and politics of socialism ( and I didn’t live that age) also I laughed and cried in some parts of the story. The music also participates in the perfect moment and do it more nostalgic.
Goodbye Lenin is a perfect movie that creates curiosity about socialism.

[deanerhockings-reptilianhu]

Just watched this film- appreciated watching your review afterwards:) Thanks!

[derlaurenz]

Thank you for appreciating our subtle YET existing sense of humor! AM-EN!!!!

[Studio-V]

Hate to be a hater, but I can't even describe how much of a disservice this review does that film. You caught onto the silliest and most inconsequential bits and I feel like u didn't even see the second half. You're right it does have an incredible heart and you didn't spoil much, but all of the density, reconciliation and love is toward the end. Absolutely essential cinema for understanding contemporary East/West Europe.

[beckysam]

it was a much needed therapeutic "dramedy" in an age, where many east german felt as failure, lost family members, shattered dreams and facing the reality and felt second class citizen and hurt by west german companies exploitation while west german were full of sorrow how western gov and people would be able to build up a country like east germany with broken economy, broken cities and saw the differences in the culture that changed over decades and how to fit with each other.

[lusiatanasov]

Amazing review! Deserves way more views, very well put.

[wittesneeuw]

If you did not shed a year at the end, you're not human.

[ladygreytea]

I like this film too much i have watched 5 times. :'D

[migelprager]

I can only hate Hollywood for buying Daniel Brühl... how come Alex turned into Helmut Zemo, FFS?!?

[naglim]

I can’t find it anywhere. Google Play, YouTube movies? Where is it? Oh and English subtitles please!

[jurgen]

Oh, I didnt know it wasnt translate into English. Thats too bad.
I dont know if I would watch this movie and also like it as an foreigner.
Above that I dont know how much information about the DDR and BRD do you get in other countries to be able to smile and laugh about the many jokes and allusions.

I would highly recommend this movie although its pretty hard with subtitle, but its worth it!

[thomasbyrne]

What the fuck was that salty comment on Daniel about?