Good Bye, Lenin!

Director: Wolfgang Becker
Year Released: 2003
Rating: 2.0

A young man whose extremely pro-socialist mother falls into a coma lies to her after she reawakens and tries to mask Germany's reunification. For being one of the most ridiculous and least probable conceits I've seen in forever - not to mention the naivety of the mother, who has to be brain dead not to notice something is awry - Becker does his best to make it work - his young protagonist's desire to please his mother and ease her suffering is certainly honorable (he also helps out his girlfriend/nurse with her medical schooling) if not cruelly deceitful. I can't personally fathom why anyone would long for the mess that was socialism, but then again, I couldn't help but react with horror if my once promising sister left college to work for Burger King (sorry, Burger King).