This is a part of an ongoing project in which I watch one movie from a different country every week.

RUNNING TIME: 121 Minutes

DIRECTOR: Wolfgang Becker

WRITTEN BY:
Bernd Lichtenberg
Wolfgang Becker
Achim von Borries
Henk Handloegten (Hendrik Handleoegten)
Chris Silber (Christoph Silber)

STARING:
Daniel Brühl
Katrin Saß
Chulpan Khamatova

WHERE CAN YOU FIND IT: The usual suspects…Netflix DVD. Amazon Video. YouTube. iTunes.

PLOT: In 1989, Christiane Kerner has lost her husband and is completely devoted to the Socialist East German state. A heart attack leaves her in a coma for eight months. When she awakens, the Berlin Wall has fallen and it’s a whole new world.  Christiane’s doctors warn her son, Alex, that a shock could kill her. Therefore, he must do everything within his power to prevent her from learning that capitalism has reached East Germany.

MEMORABLE MOMENT: Alex goes to tremendous lengths to prevent his mother from learning that the Berlin Wall has fallen. He puts new food in old East German packages and films fake news broadcasts.  Therefore one of the film’s funniest moments is when an enormous Coca-Cola advertisement goes up right outside her window.

• There is a scene in which Alex’s friend, Denis (Florian Lukas), appears to be wearing a Matrix T-shirt. Many audience members assumed this was a goof because the scene was set in 1990 when The Matrix didn’t come out until 1999. However, the similarities are just a coincidence. The shirt really was around in the late 80’s / early 90’s.

• One of the film’s major themes is Ostalgie, nostalgia for aspects of life in old East Germany.

• The film was mostly shot in East Berlin. CGI was used extensively to “de-westernize” the setting. Ads for Western products were removed and the colors of many buildings had to be lightened or darkened.

So far I’ve avoided giving away spoilers on this blog, but Good Bye Lenin!‘s ending stuck with me so much I had to write about it. Just be warned MAJOR spoilers ahead.

If Good Bye Lenin! had been made in Hollywood, Alex’s mother would have discovered the truth at the film’s climax. She would be upset, but she would be more “disappointed” that her son lied to her. Alex and his friends/family would help her accept the changes, though, and the film would end with everyone sitting around a table at Burger King enjoying a meal.*

And honestly, that wouldn’t have been so horrible.  This movie would have still been a fun dramatic comedy with a quirky premise. However, Good Bye Lenin’s! actual ending caught me completely off guard in what it had to say about truth and young people’s relationship with their elders.

Just before the film’s climax it is strongly implied that Alex’s girlfriend, Lara (Chulpan Khamatova), tell’s Alex’s mother (Katrin Saß) the truth, although the audience doesn’t know if she believes her. Later, Alex creates yet another fake news broadcast claiming that East Germany has a new leader and he has opened the borders to the west. Alex’s mother, Christiane, seems to happily accept this news. However, the audience doesn’t know if she really believes it or if she is just playing along. Later, despite Alex’s best efforts, Christiane passes away and Alex scatters her ashes thinking she died believing that her beloved socialist state was still a major world power.

So two things might be happening here. Both imply that lies might be healthier than the truth.

1) Christiane doesn’t believe Lara, but she believes the fake news broadcast. In this scenario, Alex managed to share a part of the truth with her. His mother now knows that the West has reached East Germany, but she thinks it’s under East Germany’s own terms. Therefore in the end, Alex’s plan worked. His mother may have passed away but she died believing her world was still a whole.

I should note we do this sort of thing with the elderly all the time. How many times do we avoid “unpleasant” topics with our elders or change the channel when a distressing news program comes on. In fact, while watching this movie I had to wonder how many families in the United States lied to their dying relatives and told them that Hillary won the 2016 presidential election. I’m certainly not saying that such actions are immoral. The motivation is often out of love. However it is still an obstruction of the truth. What Alex does in Good Bye Lenin! is similar, but blown to a comical proportion.

2) Christiane believes Lara and knows the broadcast is fake. In this scenario Christiane is weaving her own lies. She knows that East Germany is gone, but plays along because she loves her son and appreciates everything he has done for her. She doesn’t want him to worry about her. This is also something that happens in real life. The elderly often lie or hide the truth from their younger relatives, allowing them to believe that they are healthier or happier than they really are.

Alex clearly hates the socialist state but goes to great lengths to create a miniature version of East Germany for his mother. Perhaps on some level he is really doing this for himself, to hold onto a part of the world he grew up in. Therefore, if Christiane really is just playing along at the end, she is the one protecting her son. Good Bye Lenin!’s ending is open to interpretation but however you read it, a lot is being said about the lies relatives tell one another out of love. One also has to wonder if something is being said about the lies we tell ourselves.

*I should note that I don’t make these comparisons to Hollywood movies to say they’re all trash. There are a lot of mega blockbusters I love. However, with a few exceptions, these movies mostly fall into a relatively strict formula.