OK, this film is probably not for everybody, but I thought it was very good…and you don’t often get to say a German film comedy is good!
Having lived in Berlin when the Wall was up, and having visited East Berlin almost every weekend for several years, the film hit all kinds of subtle touches of humor.
From the godawful coffee, to the “fashions” - this film is a time capsule of East German life that will get a chuckle out of anybody who was ever there during that period.
The story is pretty simple…a boy’s mother, big in the East German Party, goes into a coma exactly the time the Wall comes down. Eight months later she awakens but the family is warned that any shock could give her another heart attack and kill her. Thus begins the elaborate family ruse of re-creating the East German lifestyle in the middle of the westernization of the East so that mother doesn’t realize what has happened while she was in the coma.
It is in German, with subtitles…so, again - I realize this film might not be for everybody, but if you are even slightly interested, it is worth a look!
I must admit I loved it, I was almost crying. I thought it was a great movie, and I try to tell people about it, but then they hear “German” and subtitles, and they’re just not interested anymore.
DMark, do you still live in Germany? I’m thinking of a holiday there for about 6 months between when I finish my degree and before I start medicine, or I was thinking about moving there permanently. How is it?
I live in Las Vegas now (a slight change from Berlin) but I loved living in Berlin. Great people, great nightlife, lots of cultural events…
I still have a lot of friends in Berlin - they all moan about the tightening of the social welfare belt and the dismal economic forecasts…but for a visit at least, I say go for it!
And to the others, glad you liked the film as well!
I forgot to mention there are some additional features on the DVD but nothing special. A few deleted scenes, but the director kept yapping away during the scene so you couldn’t really hear what was going on. There is, however, the extended DDR news broadcasts that were funny. The kid who played the television producer friend was great! They could do a whole film just with him.
