Goodbye Lenin! (2004): Cast, Ratings, Box Office & Plot
Goodbye Lenin! is a 2004 comedy drama directed by Wolfgang Becker, starring Daniel Brühl, Florian Lukas and Chulpan Khamatova. It runs 2 hours 1 minute and earned $79.3 million worldwide. Critics gave it 91% on Rotten Tomatoes and 68 on Metacritic.
- Released
- Runtime
- 2h 1m (121 min)
- Director
- Wolfgang Becker
- Original language
-
German - Studio
- Sony Pictures Classics
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Goodbye Lenin! About?
The premise of Goodbye Lenin! without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
In October 1989, as East Germany faced collapse, Alex Kerner's world was upended when his mother fell into a coma just before the Berlin Wall came down. To prevent her from suffering a potentially fatal shock upon awakening, Alex and his family embark on an elaborate and heartfelt deception. They meticulously recreate the illusion that communism still governs Berlin, navigating the rapidly changing political landscape while desperately trying to protect their mother and preserve a semblance of the world she knows.
Goodbye Lenin! Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- coma
- berlin wall
- fake newscast
- capitalism
- political activism
- amnesia
- mother son relationship
- german reunification
- fall of communism
- spartak young pioneers organization
- waking up from a coma
- charade
+38 more Show fewer
- husband wife relationship
- watching tv
- divorcee
- uncle niece relationship
- girl
- year 1990
- long lost father
- liar
- lie
- love
- crying
- tears
- police
- reality
- grandmother granddaughter relationship
- childhood
- violence
- male full frontal nudity
- communist
- demonstrator
- party member
- pretense
- sham
- socialist
- video
- heart attack
- east germany
- nurse
- demonstration
- immigrant
- russian
- east berlin
- video camera
- satellite tv
- dissent
- astronaut
- freedom of the press
- wannsee germany
Goodbye Lenin! Cast
Daniel Brühl leads the cast, with Florian Lukas and Chulpan Khamatova. Directed by Wolfgang Becker; 4 actors are credited in all.
- Director Wolfgang Becker
More from Wolfgang Becker
More films directed by Wolfgang Becker: Me and Kaminski, Germany ’09 – 13 Short Films About the State of the Nation, Welcome to São Paulo and The Suburban Crocodiles.
Goodbye Lenin! Reviews & Ratings
Critics gave Goodbye Lenin! 91% on Rotten Tomatoes and 68 on Metacritic.
-
Rotten Tomatoes 91% Tomatometer
Popcornmeter 92%
See on Rotten Tomatoes -
Metacritic 68 Metascore
User score 7.9
See on Metacritic -
TMDB 75% User score
See on TMDB
Goodbye Lenin! Plot Summary
What happens in Goodbye Lenin! from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 15 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 4-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
The film takes place in East Berlin during the transformative period from October 1989 to just after the German reunification in October 1990. Alex Kerner, the protagonist, shares a home with his devoted mother, Christiane, his sister Ariane, and Ariane’s baby daughter, Paula. The family is haunted by the absence of Alex’s father, who allegedly left them for a mistress in the West back in 1978. Christiane, a passionate member of the Socialist Unity Party, spends her days advocating for the citizens of East Germany. Disillusioned by the pompous celebration of East Germany’s 40th anniversary, Alex joins an anti-government protest where he encounters a girl but is separated from her by the Volkspolizei before they can exchange names.
Full summary
The whole story of Goodbye Lenin!, scene by scene
Goodbye Lenin! Box Office
Goodbye Lenin! grossed $79.3 million worldwide. $4.1 million came from the US and Canada and $75.3 million (95%) from the rest of the world.
Worldwide gross
$79.3M
- US & Canada
- $4.1M
- International
- $75.3M
Goodbye Lenin! Trailers & Videos
The trailer of Goodbye Lenin!.
How Well Do You Know Goodbye Lenin!?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
What event causes Christiane to fall into a coma?
Cars in Goodbye Lenin!
58 cars on screen, including the 1980 Simson Schwalbe and the 1984 Barkas B1000 SMH-3.
-
1980 Simson Schwalbe Main role -
1984 Barkas B1000 SMH-3 Important role -
1982 Lada 2105 Important role -
Suzuki Super Carry Important role
Goodbye Lenin! Also Known As
35 alternative titles, including “Гуд бай” and “Ленин!”.
- Also known as
-
- Гуд бай
- Ленин!
- 79 qm DDR
- 快乐的谎言
- 民主德国在79平方米房间里的延续
- 再見列寧！
- 굿바이 레닌
- 굿 바이
- 레닌!
- Adeus Lenin!
- Au revoir Lenin!
- Good Bye Lenin!
+23 more Show fewer
- Гудбай
- Adeus
- Lenine!
- Good Bye
- 再见列宁
- Αντίο
- Λένιν
- Elveda Lenin!
- 굿바이
- 레닌
- להתראות לנין!
- Ґудбай
- Леніне!
- Lênin!
- Сбогом
- Rămas bun
- Zbogom
- Lenjine!
- ¡Adiós Lenin!
- グッバイ、レーニン！
- กูดบาย เลนิน!
- Au revoir Lénine!
- Hüvasti Lenin
Seen Goodbye Lenin!?
Movies Like Goodbye Lenin!
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Goodbye Soviet Union, Berlin Blues and In Times of Fading Light.
Goodbye Lenin! FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Runtime
Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office, ratings, post-credit scenes and language of Goodbye Lenin!, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Goodbye Lenin!?
Goodbye Lenin! runs 2 hours 1 minute (121 minutes).
When was Goodbye Lenin! released?
Goodbye Lenin! was released on February 27, 2004.
Who directed Goodbye Lenin!?
Goodbye Lenin! was directed by Wolfgang Becker.
More films by Wolfgang Becker Who is in the cast of Goodbye Lenin!?
Goodbye Lenin! stars Daniel Brühl, Florian Lukas and Chulpan Khamatova, among 4 credited actors.
How much did Goodbye Lenin! make at the box office?
Goodbye Lenin! grossed $79.3 million worldwide ($4.1 million domestic, $75.3 million international).
How is Goodbye Lenin! rated?
Goodbye Lenin! has 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, 68 on Metacritic and 75% on TMDB.
Does Goodbye Lenin! have a post-credit scene?
No. Goodbye Lenin! has no extra scene during or after the credits.
What language is Goodbye Lenin! in?
The original language of Goodbye Lenin! is German.
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