Berlin is unique and the most controversial city we ever visited. Leo German colleagues agreed and said there is no other city like this in Europe (or anywhere in the world?). Below are 6 most worth watching movies about Berlin that will let you feel the vibes of the city
One of the most interesting movies about Berlin:
1. The Lives of Others (2006)
“The Lives of Others” won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.
Set in East Berlin in 1984, during the Cold War, the film follows the story of a secret police agent tasked with surveilling a successful playwright and his girlfriend.
Genre: drama, mystery thriller
Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Running time: 2 hours 17 min
IMDb: 8.4
2. Goodbye, Lenin! (2003)
“Goodbye, Lenin!” received an enormous amount of awards.
“Good Bye Lenin!” is a German tragicomedy film set against the backdrop of the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
Genre: Comedy, drama, romance
Director: Wolfgang Becker
Running time: 2 hours
IMDb: 7.7
3. Unorthodox (2020)
“The Unorthodox” series is based on the memoir by Deborah Feldman.
Esty, from an ultra-Orthodox Jewish family in Brooklyn, decided to flee her community a year after her arranged marriage. She secretly leaves for Berlin, where her mother has been living since she left the community.
Genre: Coming-of-age drama, TV mini-series
Director: Maria Schrader
Running time: 3h 32min (4 series by 52 minutes)
Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
4. Rabbit Without Ears (2007)
Til Schweiger, pictured below, is Germany’s best-known actor and most successful director.
The story revolves around Ludo, a shallow celebrity journalist, who finds himself in mishaps that lead to a court-ordered community service at a kindergarten.
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Director: Til Schweiger
Running time: 1h 56min
IMDb: 6.5
5. Never Look Away (2018)
The film is inspired by real events and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film.
The film spans three decades and follows the life of an aspiring artist named Kurt Barnert. Set against the backdrop of post-World War II Germany, the story explores the impact of historical events on art, love, and individual identity.
Genre: Coming-of-age drama, romance, thriller;
Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck;
Running time: 188 minutes;
Rotten Tomatoes: 77%
6. The Boy Needs Fresh Air (2018)
The movie below is the adaptation of the autobiography The Boy Needs Fresh Air – My Childhood and I by Hape Kerkeling, one of the top German comedians. The film was shot in Berlin, in the Ruhr area, and in Bavaria.
The story follows a pudgy 9 y.o. Hans living in 1972. The love and care of his grandparents make it possible for him to survive the ensuing emotional turmoil and use his comedic talents to heal his wounds while also making people laugh along with him.
Genre: Biography, comedy, drama
Director: Caroline Link
Running time: 1 hour 40 min
IMDb: 7.3
Thanks for reading!
We had a lot of mixed feelings about Berlin from our research trip. We were planning to move from the States to Europe and traveled to Germany and Holland (and a year ago settled in France:))
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Berlin was the single place we have ever visited we could love and hate several times a day. There is nothing else like Berlin! Great blog posts about Berlin in Russian:
