2003
Directed by Wolfgang Becker
I wasn't alive when the Berlin Wall came down (I'm young stuff) so this film didn't have the emotional impact that it did with other people who can remember the event. I still found this to be an intriguing film with a fascinating premise.
In 1990, Alex Kerner attempts to keep his frail mother from finding out that East Germany no longer exists, as the shock could kill her. Alex engages in a series of ruses to keep up the charade, with help from his sister Ariane and his girlfriend Lara.
As soon as I read the description, I knew I would like this. It is an odd, Wes Anderson-esque blend of comedy and drama. Not only were the filmmakers successful in creating a smart political statement but a moving family drama as well. Alex's fabrication of events didn't seem any more fictitious than the bullshit politicians spew on a regular basis.
Can't go all the way, but still we are on quite the streak!
RATING: ****-
Interesting Facts:
CGI was used to de-Westernize Berlin.
It's things like this that bring you up with a start to realise generational differences ...My mind goes ..'Not born when the Berlin wall came down'? Can that be possible? well yes, it was err.. 27 ish years ago.. blimey. Don't forget this comes from someone who was alive when the Berlin wall went up ..
ReplyDeleteIt is one of the delights of my life is that I was able to do quite a bit of independent travel through the DDR (and Czechoslovakia) almost immediately after it opened up. I had made trips into East Berlin well before that, in the full blooded cold war era..
So this film holds a huge amount of relevance to me, so delighted to read you liked it so much.
Wow that must have been fascinating. What was East Berlin like?
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