☆☆☆☆☆ Classic
Good Bye Lenin! (2003) is a charming and poignant comedy about the lies we tell to protect our loved ones.
Directed by Wolfgang Becker.
Starring Daniel Brühl, Katrin Saß, Chulpan Khamatova and Florian Lukas among others.
We don't remember our past as it really happened and neither do the characters in Wolfgang's film. Daniel's character uses the same nostalgic story telling scheme that Ethan's character does in Alfonso Cuaron's, Great Expectations (1998). Wolfgang's characters color their story with a nostalgia colored lens to help their mothers character delay her impending death. Becker creates a simple, wonderful film that is both funny and poignant. German audience will get more meaning from the film's German unification plot subtext than others. This does not in any way take away from the films beautiful story about love, redemption and hope for the future from a sad past.
Daniel really holds the film together with his simple, understated comedic performance. The comedy is mostly between the lines and Brühl manages to bubble the comedy out of each scene. In the scene below watch Daniel bring humor to the scene. I especially enjoyed Chulpan's hysterical reaction moment. The film is filled with many similar moments that leave you feeling satisfied with the plot and through line of the story.
Trivia - CGI was used throughout the film to de-Westernize East Berlin for the production.
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