The Edukators, Goodbye Lenin Reaction

After viewing both of the films offered on the class blog, I was able to form yet a better understanding of German youth culture. In the first film, the "Edukators", there were many recurring themes between that movie and the "Baader-Meinhof Complex". Each film had a focus on the viewpoint of the German youth with strong ideals and putting them into action. Most young Germans were probably not as motivated as to put their ideals and beliefs to work, or were at least waiting for someone, or something, to come along and really push them to get out and make a difference. There were several references to the RAF movement and the 68's in the "Edukators." Ironically, the man that the group kidnapped was once involved in a similar movement when he was young and told one of the Edukators something like: "any man who is not a liberal before 30,  has no heart, but if you are a liberal after 30, you have no brains." The CEO then went on to explain why people who get old often change and end up as the very people the youth movement was against. For the people who reap the benefits of a capitalist system, it is easy to live by and forget about others' problems as long as it doesn't involve you. As for the people supporting the movement, they have seen what its like to live at the bottom without any hope of getting out and it becomes easy for them to force change. I liked what the Edukators were doing with the ultra-rich houses. It was illegal, yes, but not as violent as with what the RAF had done. I think it is a better approach, but it is much more difficult than that to change the system.

In the film "Goodbye Lenin," I was able to get a much better insight of what East Germany was like during the time of its existence. As with the other two movies, there was a focus on the lives' of German youth and the effects that the current system had on them. This movie was slightly different, though, coming from the inside of a Communists state vs. the viewpoints of youth in a Westernized state. The main character, Alex, was involved in a youth protest against the separation of Germany and for the right of free speech/freedom of the press. This contrasts with the other two movies where the protestors wanted a more socialist state. That is interesting to me because each one wanted what the other was experiencing. Goodbye Lenin was more of an educational movie vs. an emotionally exciting film. While the story unfolded with Alex's mom and the family's ruse of keeping her in the past GDR, the film showed many depictions of the actions that took place during the end of the GDR and Berlin Wall. There were many clips in the film that were actual news footage from the events themselves. I thought that helped in giving me much greater insight into what happened during the end of the USSR, GDR, reunification of Germany and the effects on their people.