The fall of the Berlin Wall was a cherished event and marked an end to an era of oppression. The words “tear down this wall!,” coming from President Ronald Reagan during a speech at the 750th Anniversary of Berlin were a direct challenge to Mikhail Gorbachev, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Reagan was on a quest for world unity and currently had his sights set on the Berlin Wall. He had been slowly gaining the trust of Gorbachev and many people felt this move was a complete betrayal. This same type of betrayal fuels writer/director, Wolfgang Becker’s, film Goodbye Lenin, into an exciting story about one family’s struggle during this era.
It’s an exciting time in East Berlin for Alex as he and his sister watch Sigmund Jahn get to be the first German to fly into outer space. Their mother is a single-mother who cherishes her children and works very hard at being a patriot for her country. After being left by her husband who fled to West Germany, and then battling severe depression leading to hospitalization, she comes home and finds refuge in her homeland (East Germany). She leads a young boy’s organization called the ‘Young Pioneers,” where the ultimate goal is to teach socialist ideology. She tries to instill these beliefs in her children as well to bring them closer. She also writes petitions for women’s rights in the workplace.
When Alex is a teenager he goes to a friendly protest that turns violent. His mother is there and see’s him being arrested when she has a heart attack. This heart attack causes an eight month long comma during which the Berlin Wall was destroyed. Against the Doctors judgment, Alex took his mother home when she woke up. He was instructed that any slight excitement could trigger another heart attack so he constructed the apartment in the exact way it was before she fell into her coma. During her recovery he went to great lengths to conceal the truth about the encroaching western world, so that so could remain clam. It was a good plan until her birthday party where she spotted a coca-cola sign being hung on a building as the group was singing happy-birthday. From there on she questioned this event and requested to watch TV to pass the time. Alex came up with a phony news show to tide her over. Filmed with a friend the fake program dispelled any questions and ultimately builds the GDR (East Germany) into one that they worked for in the past.
Throughout the movie there are little signs that show the diminishing GDR after the fall of the USSR and the Berlin Wall. The cosmonaut turned taxi driver may have been the most significant when Alex was on his way to reunite with his father. The Coca-Cola sign and Arianne’s job at Burger King, as well as the new apartment décor were strong signs of westernization. The the Spreewell pickle and Mocha-Fix coffee shortage were indicators of new avenues of commerce that could now be tapped on a more local level. The currency exchange was another and pseudo-enforced East-West borders where teens would take pictures with the guards as a joke, showed that a new structure was in place. The most dominant of signs, perhaps, was the Stalin statue as it seemingly waved goodbye to Christine (no doubt a play on the title) as in was being transported from the city.
It’s an exciting time in East Berlin for Alex as he and his sister watch Sigmund Jahn get to be the first German to fly into outer space. Their mother is a single-mother who cherishes her children and works very hard at being a patriot for her country. After being left by her husband who fled to West Germany, and then battling severe depression leading to hospitalization, she comes home and finds refuge in her homeland (East Germany). She leads a young boy’s organization called the ‘Young Pioneers,” where the ultimate goal is to teach socialist ideology. She tries to instill these beliefs in her children as well to bring them closer. She also writes petitions for women’s rights in the workplace.
When Alex is a teenager he goes to a friendly protest that turns violent. His mother is there and see’s him being arrested when she has a heart attack. This heart attack causes an eight month long comma during which the Berlin Wall was destroyed. Against the Doctors judgment, Alex took his mother home when she woke up. He was instructed that any slight excitement could trigger another heart attack so he constructed the apartment in the exact way it was before she fell into her coma. During her recovery he went to great lengths to conceal the truth about the encroaching western world, so that so could remain clam. It was a good plan until her birthday party where she spotted a coca-cola sign being hung on a building as the group was singing happy-birthday. From there on she questioned this event and requested to watch TV to pass the time. Alex came up with a phony news show to tide her over. Filmed with a friend the fake program dispelled any questions and ultimately builds the GDR (East Germany) into one that they worked for in the past.
Throughout the movie there are little signs that show the diminishing GDR after the fall of the USSR and the Berlin Wall. The cosmonaut turned taxi driver may have been the most significant when Alex was on his way to reunite with his father. The Coca-Cola sign and Arianne’s job at Burger King, as well as the new apartment décor were strong signs of westernization. The the Spreewell pickle and Mocha-Fix coffee shortage were indicators of new avenues of commerce that could now be tapped on a more local level. The currency exchange was another and pseudo-enforced East-West borders where teens would take pictures with the guards as a joke, showed that a new structure was in place. The most dominant of signs, perhaps, was the Stalin statue as it seemingly waved goodbye to Christine (no doubt a play on the title) as in was being transported from the city.
In an era where world unity was the goal and freedom the motivation, it seemed that anything was possible. Men flying into space, Germany being united, and the Soviet Union falling were only a few of the milestones for this quest. Now, however, we face an even more trying time. Global warming, energy problems, terrorism, civil war, nuclear weapon struggles, genocide, AIDS, and countless other problems all combine to cause alarm and the need for change seems even greater. With the problems faced today, the Berlin Wall doesn’t seem too important. It’s nice however, that it isn’t a one of the problems still on the list.
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