Just saw this. Excellent German film co-written and directed by Wolfgang Becker that just made it's way to the 'States.
Synopsis is this - a young man (Alex) and his sister (Ariene) live with their mother (Katrin Saß) in the dying DDR. Mom's seemingly a very dedicated, idealistic communist devoted to her regime, the father of the family has defected to West Germany years ago. Katrin suffers a heart attack in 1989, a few months before the Berlin wall falls, and lapses into a coma.
Nine months later, during which time Alex has struck up a relationship with the Russian student-nurse taking care of his Mutter, Katrin awakes from her coma to an East Germany that has abandoned Moscow and seeks reapprochment with the West. Knowing that his mother hasn't much longer to live, and that the shock of knowing how the past nine months have developed would kill her, Alex decides to shelter his mother from the truth. In a scenerio that gets progressively more complicated, Alex lies to his mother, telling her that nothing much has changed. He re-creates 1989 East Germany in her apartment, pays children to impersonate the Young Pioneers she used to teach, and eventually starts to fake news broadcasts with his friend Rainer.
The movie is very well directed, very understated, very funny (even if you don't 'get' German humour) and incredibly well developed plotwise.
Synopsis is this - a young man (Alex) and his sister (Ariene) live with their mother (Katrin Saß) in the dying DDR. Mom's seemingly a very dedicated, idealistic communist devoted to her regime, the father of the family has defected to West Germany years ago. Katrin suffers a heart attack in 1989, a few months before the Berlin wall falls, and lapses into a coma.
Nine months later, during which time Alex has struck up a relationship with the Russian student-nurse taking care of his Mutter, Katrin awakes from her coma to an East Germany that has abandoned Moscow and seeks reapprochment with the West. Knowing that his mother hasn't much longer to live, and that the shock of knowing how the past nine months have developed would kill her, Alex decides to shelter his mother from the truth. In a scenerio that gets progressively more complicated, Alex lies to his mother, telling her that nothing much has changed. He re-creates 1989 East Germany in her apartment, pays children to impersonate the Young Pioneers she used to teach, and eventually starts to fake news broadcasts with his friend Rainer.
The movie is very well directed, very understated, very funny (even if you don't 'get' German humour) and incredibly well developed plotwise.
i was thinking to see it anyways but now ill see it for sure