Goodbye Lennin

If I were to pick my favorite film of this semester, it would be Goodbye Lennin.
This is another film that shows the power of television -- in Goodbye Lennin, the television is powerful enough to manipulate beliefs.

After the Berlin Wall falls, Alex creates fake newscast that pretending that the wall still exists for his ill mother. Even when Christiane senses something wrong, such as when she sees the coca-cola ad on the building from her window, Alex is able to create a fake society just through his broadcasts. Although she is in doubts, she chooses to believe in the fake reality, since it shows what she is used to.

I really enjoyed how the film dealt with some serious issues that happened within Germany after the fall of wall in a light, comedic way. Yet it succeeded in showing the complexity of the problems and reactions from different groups of people, especially the reactions of Easterners and Westerners, presenting the problem in various aspects. The light depictions of throwing old money from the roof, or not being able to buy Eastern good are not light in their meaning and it is clear how people were severely affected by these changes.
I think this film is a good example of highlighting social issues successfully with just enough humor.