Good Bye, Lenin!

The Berlin Wall comes crashing down. East Germany reunites with West Germany. The Iron Curtain raised by Communist leader Eric Honecker is destroyed. Capitalism invades; Coke ads are raised; and East German products cease to exist. This incredible political upheaval occurs during the eight months that a dedicated Communist activist was in a coma after suffering a heart attack when she saw her only son get arrested during a violent protest. When the son (Daniel Bruhl) is released, he learns that any excitement could kill his fragile and recently awakened mother (Katrin Sass). With the help of his TV-savvy friend, the son manipulates reality to recreate the world that his mother once knew. Together, the two scour dumpsters in search of East German product labels to replace those of a unified Germany, as well as make phony, though very funny, news broadcasts to explain any slips in evidence of the true German society. Viewers should say hello to Goodbye, Lenin, and enjoy the witty entertainment by writer/director Wolfgang Becker.