Don's quest for movies that don't fall back on Hollywood-guidelines made me think that maybe it would be nice to show you lot a couple of European movies. I'll start with a review of one particular brilliant piece I watched in the cinema just last night. Now, I've written this myself and I'm not an expert like Glenn so go easy on me, will you? 
GOOD BYE LENIN
THE GDR LIVES ON ... ON 79 SQUARE METERS!
Made in Germany
Producer is Wolfgang Becker
What would you do if your mother had suffered a heart attack and any big shock could mean the end of her life? Of course, you would try your utmost to keep her from experiencing shocking things and give her a quiet, peaceful time.
And that is exactly what young Alexander Kerner is going to do. Only, he has a problem: the Berlin wall came down and his mother doesn't know about it as she fell into an 8 month coma after her heart attack and she's only recently woken up!
From tiny details such as East German food and clothes to much larger issues such as the National Holiday, Alexander finds himself struggling to keep alive the GDR on the 79 square meters of his mother's appartment.
It's a very humouristic story indeed and one that doesn't bore the audience a single moment. Being a European production, the budget was low but director Wolfgang Becker still managed to put a great film on screen. Tiny details such as the microphone accidently being visible in a number of scenes aren't irritating as the natural acting of the cast and the accurately built set more than make up for it.
A strong storyline, very humouristic but with a touch of drama throughout the movie. The film also holds a particularly surprising ending that only few will see coming. Non-Continental Europeans may not fully understand many emotions surrounding the fall of communism and the re-unification of the Continent but in the very least, you will learn a lot and be offered a new perspective on Europeans and their heritage.
Rating 8/10
WATCH THE TRAILER!
GOOD BYE LENIN
THE GDR LIVES ON ... ON 79 SQUARE METERS!

Made in Germany
Producer is Wolfgang Becker
What would you do if your mother had suffered a heart attack and any big shock could mean the end of her life? Of course, you would try your utmost to keep her from experiencing shocking things and give her a quiet, peaceful time.
And that is exactly what young Alexander Kerner is going to do. Only, he has a problem: the Berlin wall came down and his mother doesn't know about it as she fell into an 8 month coma after her heart attack and she's only recently woken up!
From tiny details such as East German food and clothes to much larger issues such as the National Holiday, Alexander finds himself struggling to keep alive the GDR on the 79 square meters of his mother's appartment.
It's a very humouristic story indeed and one that doesn't bore the audience a single moment. Being a European production, the budget was low but director Wolfgang Becker still managed to put a great film on screen. Tiny details such as the microphone accidently being visible in a number of scenes aren't irritating as the natural acting of the cast and the accurately built set more than make up for it.
A strong storyline, very humouristic but with a touch of drama throughout the movie. The film also holds a particularly surprising ending that only few will see coming. Non-Continental Europeans may not fully understand many emotions surrounding the fall of communism and the re-unification of the Continent but in the very least, you will learn a lot and be offered a new perspective on Europeans and their heritage.

WATCH THE TRAILER!
