Fresno Famous

Good Bye, Lenin! is the story of a Berliner named Alex who recreates the German Democratic Republic in his family's flat after doctors tell him that his mother, who fell into a coma 8 months before the fall of the Berlin Wall (Go Reagan!), could have a fatal heart attack if she gets upset.

Unable to break the news about the collapse of communism to his bed-ridden mother, Alex, played by Germany's Jake Gyllenhaal equivalent Daniel Brühl, goes to absurd lengths to hide any sign of Westernization. He feverishly scavenges for rare household products produced by long-defunct East German companies, restores old Russian radios, and even recruits friends to stage mock communist newscasts.

While the idea of a heart warming German Comedy sounds about as far fetched as the idea of cloning a sheep, Director Wolfgang Becker's film is a surprisingly hilarious and nostalgic vision of what the GDR could have been.

The film was a smash in Germany, winning best European film at the Berlin Film Festival, and was an Academy Award and Golden Globe Nominee for Best Foreign Language film. After the release of Good Bye, Lenin!, the apartment featured in the film quickly became a popular place to rent out for "Ostalgie" Parties.

A combination of the German words for East and Nostalgia, Ostalgie has been a popular trend in Germany since Good Bye, Lenin! hit the big screen.

And who can blame them? I'd wax nostalgic for any government that gave me free healthcare.

Good Bye, Lenin! Will be screened by Fresno Filmworks Friday, June 11, 2004 at 5:00 pm or 10:00 pm at The Tower Theatre. Tickets are $9.