goodbye lenin

set against the backdrop of the fall of socialist east germany, the thread that runs throughout the show is a mother-son relationship. the extent that alex went to recreate a mirage for his stricken mother was a breath of fresh air.

alex's mother. an idealist. a teacher. whose beliefs in the socialist system is unwavering. one day, she collapses of a heart attack in the streets. and lapses into an 8-month long coma. this 8 month period saw the reunification of east and west germany. the fall of the socialist regime. and how germany's victory in the soccer world championships in 1990 helped gelled the fragile, fragmented society.

when mother rouses from her state of coma, doctor warns not to shock her too much. alex the son proceeds to recreate her room to the original state. he painstakingly ransacks garbage bins for containers with east german brand stickers, goes home to sterilised those dumped containers, and then placed food into the containers, so that it would have a placebo effect on his mother. as an extension of the mirage he has created for his mother. this extends even to his efforts to ask his budding film director colleague to film daily news bulletins to appease his mother's socialist sensibilities.

the lie conjured by alex ironically pales in comparison with the lie that his mother has been maintaining about his estranged father. yet to his credit, he puts aside all personal disappointment to see that his dying mother's last wish to see his dad again for one last time be fulfilled. whether or not his mother died in full ignorance of reality is open to question, but what is not in doubt is the son's love for his mother. perhaps what makes it even more of an anomoly is that this is set against the backdrop of a western society.

the narrative was none as spectacular like the french movie she loves me, she loves me not, but nonetheless powerful. a relatively tight script and a thoroughly believable plot elicits sympathy from the most sceptical of souls. the film was made even more enjoyable since there was no harping on the merits and demerits of the socialist or capitalist systems of government. what was prevalent was instead how the mother-son relationship stood the test of time.

this is a show i don't mind watching again.