German Unity Day Movies- Remembering The Berlin Wall in Film on Oct. 3

We do love Movie Night in our home. I was thinking, since October 3rd is German Unity Day, why not watch movies that show what it was like before the Wall came down and after of German Unification? These German Unity Day Movies are a fascinating time capsule of sets and clothing. And they also give a little insight into the mindset of the time. Grab some popcorn, and settle in for a few films….

German Unity Day Movies

Goodbye Lenin

“Good bye Lenin” is an entertaining film about the life before and after the Wall comes down. The story is seen through the eyes of a young man (Daniel Bruhl) in Berlin. His mother is strongly connected to the Party, and his father has left. When his mother sees her son being arrested for protesting the regime, she has a heart attack, followed by a coma. When she awakens 8 months later, the doctor warns them that any shock could kill her. So… how do they tell her that the Wall is Down? That her Germany has changed?

He and his sister go to amazing lengths to keep their mother from discovering the truth. It’s funny and touching, sometimes ridiculous…. but all done with love.

The movie is German, but there are sub-titles.

See it on Amazon Prime

Good Bye, Lenin!

The Lives of Others

Another of my favorites is “The Lives of Others”. This movie actually made a splash in the US (winning the Academy Award for Best foreign language film in 2006). This movie was a somewhat frightening account of how much power Stasi had over people.

Gerd Wiesler, a Stasi officer, is ordered to spy on the playwright Georg Drymann and his girlfriend (played by Christa-Maria Sieland, my favorite German actress). Sadly, it turns out that the spying was ordered by Minister of Culture Bruno Hempf, who wants Christa-Maria for himself. Twists and turns, power plays and tragedy result.

I won’t give away the ending… I will just say it’s fascinating what happens to spies when the Wall comes down, and they can’t be spies anymore….

Again, this movie is in German, but with sub-titles.

See it on Amazon Prime

The Lives of Others

Bornholmer Straße

November 11, 1989, there was serious confusion about whether or not East Germans were allowed to travel West. See that night through the eyes of the guards at the Bornholmer Straße crossing. It’s a dark comedy, with light at the end. There is a DVD available, but you need the German Format player.

The movie is also available on You Tube with subtitles here- Bornholmer Straße

Bornholmer Straße