Good Bye, Lenin!

Good Bye, Lenin!
Theatrical release poster
Directed byWolfgang Becker
Written by
  • Wolfgang Becker
  • Bernd Lichtenberg
Produced byStefan Arndt
Starring
CinematographyMartin Kukula
Edited byPeter R. Adam
Music by
Production
company
Distributed byX Verleih AG (through Warner Bros.)
Release date
  • 13 February 2003 (2003-02-13)
Running time
121 minutes
CountryGermany
LanguageGerman
BudgetDM 9.6 million (4.8 million) (approx. $6.5 million)
Box office$79 million

Good Bye, Lenin! is a 2003 German tragicomedy film, directed by Wolfgang Becker. The cast includes Daniel Brühl, Katrin Sass, Chulpan Khamatova, and Maria Simon. The story follows a family in East Germany (GDR); the mother (Sass) is dedicated to the socialist cause and falls into a coma in October 1989, shortly before the Peaceful Revolution in November. When she awakens eight months later in June 1990, her son (Brühl) attempts to protect her from a fatal shock by concealing the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of Communism in East Germany.

Most scenes were shot at the Karl-Marx-Allee in Berlin and around Plattenbauten near Alexanderplatz. Good Bye, Lenin! received numerous honours, including 2003's European Film Award for Best Film and German Film Award for Best Fiction Film.