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EUFF Classics: “Good Bye, Lenin!”

: May 28, 2017, 3 PM
The Royal

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GOOD BYE, LENIN! (Germany, 2003, 121 min), directed by Wolfgang Becker, with Daniel Brühl, Katrin Saß and Maria Simon

October 1989. In East Berlin, Alex’ mother, a staunch socialist, falls into a coma only to wake up after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Will her weak heart withstand the triumph of capitalism in her beloved country? To save his mother, Alex transforms the family apartment into an island of the past, a kind of socialist museum where his mother is lovingly duped into believing that nothing has changed. What begins as a little white lie gets out of hand as mum wants to watch TV and even leaves her bed one day…

In a wonderful, touching and comic manner, the multi-award-winning GOOD BYE, LENIN! tells the story of how a loving son tries to move mountains to restore his mother to health – and keep her in the belief that Lenin really did win after all.

German with English subtitles; free admission

“Wolfgang Becker’s film about one man’s attempt to make history stand still is a tragi-comic journey into political upheaval and personal worries. Taking wry pot-shots at the monolithic ideologies of Communism and Capitalism, Becker turns this family’s crisis into a symbol of Germany’s own attempt to heal old wounds and rebuild itself.” – BBC

“Funny but not a comedy, serious but never overbearing, emotional in an engaging and bittersweet way, Good Bye, Lenin! is a wonderful film unto itself about a world unto itself.” – Los Angeles Times

“A romantic comedy so smart and sweetly mature, it’s liberating.” – TIME

Wolfgang Becker, born in 1954, studied German, History and American Studies at the Free University Berlin, then worked at a sound studio and studied at the German Film & Television Academy (dffb). His graduation film BUTTERFLIES (Schmetterlinge) won the Student Academy Award in 1988, the Golden Leopard at Locarno and the Ophuels Festival Saarbruecken. Already his comedy LIFE IS ALL YOU GET (Das Leben ist eine Baustelle, 1997) was in competition at the Berlinale before GOOD BYE LENIN! won the Berlinale Blue Angel Award for Best European Film 2003. GOOD BYE LENIN! launched actor Daniel Brühl’s international career, he also plays in Wolfgang Becker’s most recent cinema film ICH UND KAMINSKI (2015).

Presented by the Goethe-Institut & German Consulate General Toronto

Englisch

www.goethe.de/ins/ca/en/sta/tor/ver.cfm?fuseaction=events.detail&event_id=20854836

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Goethe-Institut

Sharing is caring! Share The Goethe-Institut is the Federal Republic of Germany’s cultural institute, active worldwide. We promote the study of German abroad and encourage international cultural exchange. With our network of Goethe-Instituts, Goethe Centres, cultural societies, reading rooms and exam and language learning centres, we have been the first point of contact for many with Germany for over sixty years. Our long-lasting partnerships with leading institutions and individuals in over ninety countries create enduring trust in Germany. We are partners for all who actively engage with Germany and its culture, working independently and without political ties. In Canada we are represented by three Goethe-Instituts in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto. Outside of these cities we offer special online courses as well...