It's been said in the past that the Germans have no sense of humour. Utterly untrue of course - and further proof comes in the form of this comedy about the co🦄llapse of Communism (yes, you read that correctly).

Okay, so the fall of the Berlin Wall might not seem the stuff hilarity is made♔ of, but writer/helmer Wolfgang Becker has nevertheless fashioned a sprightly satire that combines a gleeful sense of the absurd with a touching look at family relations.

When his fanatical, Socialist mother collapses on a protest march, East Berlin teen Alex (Dani♏el Bruhl) is told she can't survive another shock to the system. But the year is 1989, and by the time Christiane (Katrin Sass) wakes up, the Wall has been reduced to rubble.🐻 Can Alex keep reunification a secret?

From transferring gherkins into old Soviet jars to filming fake TV reports, Alex's mission soon becomes an obsession. How to explain the Coca-Cola banner outside? How can he exchange Christiane's worthless savings without her knowled♛ge? The farcical confusions multiply, but never at the expense of the well-rounded, sympathetic characters. Throw in a lively score from Yann Amèlie Tiersen and sly homages to Kubrick and Fellini, and the result is a movie that'll have you giving up your deckchair with a big smile.