Comparing Goodbye, Lenin & and The Edukators

Goodbye Lenin seemed very sympathetic of the East German switch in government. Putting the main character in a predicament where his mom, a loyal supporter of the GDR misses the eight months where the wall comes down and the boarders between the two nations all but disappear.  Alex then goes out of his way to protect his mom from the truth. That the Soviet Government installed has failed. The story really sympathizes with the East Germans that were party members and now are relegated to unemployment. Though the movie tries to keep an upbeat attitude towards the reunification it defiantly keeps a bittersweet nostalgia for East Germany. Alex even states that for his mother he gave “East Germany the exit it deserved.”

 

On that note I couldn’t believe he kept the charade up. His intentions may have been noble but I feel like keeping it  a secret as long as he did was putting unnecessary stress on his mother. 

 

Fun little tidbit, The Matrix came out in 1999, The movie takes place in 1989. Denis is wearing a Matrix T-shirt in the scene where they are drinking and looking at the 2001 a space odyssey shot that he had filmed.

 

The Edukators was more than nostalgic for the East German way of life and seemed to be glorifying it. The main characters for the movie seemed to whine about how the rich had too much and the children weren’t revolutionary enough. Leaving notes stating that “The days of plenty are over.” Even kidnapping a man who it seems pretty clearly is supposed to be the embodiment of Capitalism. The kids end up getting away with kidnapping, breaking and entering, cracking security systems.

I did have an issue with the ending. The guy gives her a note saying paid in full, then says don’t worry about the police then sicks the police on the kids? How did they know the police were coming? Also…. Aren’t they wanted now? So if they do return they will just be arrested.

Matthew's Review P2 of 2

Were Martin (Ickarus) one of my personal friends. As a favor to him I would have promptly broken his nose. It’s hard to snort any drugs with a broken nose. I would have also had his drug dealer disappear in as friendly a way possible. Probably an anonymous tip. I have no patience for scumbags of that caliber. From the opening of the movie I had no like of the character. I felt when he had his psychosis in the subway system that finally committing suicide may have been for his benefit. So far from rational thought was he that I felt his continued existence may only be a burden on the rest of us. His girlfriend//agent wasn’t of much more help. You are cheating on me so I will cheat on you.

Where I come from we have a saying. Fuck me once shame on you, fuck me twice shame on me, fuck me thrice shame on us. Shame on them both at least four hundred times over. I could not believe she put up with that crap. The only person that seemed to have the smallest amount of sense was the lesbian lover that the Martin’s agent leaves him for, and even she is blinded by her obvious lust for the Martins agent.

Some cultural differences that jumped out at me would include, the awkward orgy they had. The fact that they did drugs in broad daylight, graffiti being commonplace and actually being something that is respectable. Having unisex bathrooms where it isn’t shocking to find couples having sex.

Something I did find exceptionally unusual is the revolving door attitude of the psychiatric hospitals. Here in the states you can freely admit yourself, however once you are admitted you have waived your right to leave regardless of mental faculties. You have to prove to the doctor that you are well before they will allow you to leave. In the mental hospital depicted in the movie Martin was granted the ability to leave anytime he wanted, he was even allowed to bring his personal belongings into his room. Here in the states. You are allowed the clothes on your back and that’s all.

Found that odd. All in all, I felt Martin was a lazy bum in need of a good butt kicking who got off too easy.

Q & A Movie Time! Pt 1 of 2

The questions you need to answer while viewing:

1.    What do drugs mean to Ickarus?

Drugs to Ickarus in Ickarus’s words a way to relax, but it seems apparent he genuinely enjoys doing them as well.

 

2.    Why, when, and how are his fans taking drugs, and which drugs do they take?

Mdma was a popular drug taken, as was Ecstasy and Ketamine(The Horse tranquilizer) though surprisingly I didn’t hear anything about anyone smoking Marijuana. The drug use shown is always done in a private room, or while partying in a bathroom.

 

3.    While we can see that his drug habits get him ill and into a psychosis, and while we witness his relapse and inability to work successfully, why does the subculture Ickarus is in focus on drugs?

The focus on drugs is not made directly apparent however it can be inferred that a difficult job market (as seen by Ickarus’s brother) could be part of the root. Also, people tend to follow a few stronger leaders.

IE Everyone’s doing it!

 

4.    Compare the standards you know from your home society with the people you see depicted in this movie. Which are the stark differences and contrasts?

In the culture I grew up in Marijuana was the drug of choice. A great deal of kids got into some heavier stuff. But it was very clear, you either only did Marijuana, or you did everything that came into your possession. Meth was the hard drug of choice. Not Ketamine or MDMA.

The kids in my community that got into stuff harder than Marijuana were generally ostracized. Forced to hang out amongst themselves as they couldn’t be trusted if left alone.

 

5.    Germany is considered a strong industrial nation the world over. Do you think that the youth culture as depicted here could change that? How about work ethics of Ickarus and of Alice, the label director who fires and then re-signs him?

Yes. I think the youth culture in Germany if left as the movie depicts it will become disenfranchised welfare leeches. Their lethargy will leave a power vacuum when the current people in command eventually die out leaving a window open for a great deal of bullcrap.

 

Ickarus’s work ethic is questionable. On one hand he does produce for the society. But I think he does it because he enjoys it. As he gets older his tastes will change and he may quit producing for society. I think it would be interesting to see him in twenty years and see what he’s up to. Assuming he lives that long being he seems to live by the phrase, “A short but merry life”

 

Alice is lazy. Little doubt about that. She fires a man for being mentally unstable and then has a change of heart isn’t very business savvy. The man is clearly a liability and I doubt he’s the sole person keeping the record company afloat. Especially when it seems clear that artists like Ickarus are a dime a dozen. She didn’t even renegotiate his contract.

 

6.    Which similar "cult movies" of US origin have you seen, if any?

Fear and loathing in Las Vegas, Lost Skeleton of Cadavra, Santa Claus vs. the Martians, Our Island Earth. I’m a big fan of cult movies actually. Friends and I get together on our quest to find the stupidest movie ever made. Low budget films are a great time.

 

A Few Small Expansions

A Small Expansion on the Roll of Women.

From what I found Women granted the ability to vote on November 12, 1918, however they did not get the ability to exercise their new found right until the election in January of 1919. So a main point of our discussion in class can finally be settled. Both groups were right about when women got the right to vote. The general school of thought as for what to do with women before was "Keep them barefoot and pregnant" Though probably worded a little different.

Women's primary purpose was for maintaining the house and breeding.

 
A Small Expansion on Healthcare

Disease was problematic in the 19th century, and up until the 18th century they still treated disease in the same way as the ancient greeks. Using the four humors. Over time however laws were passed which helped fix some of the health problems. Washing hands before surgery being a fun new rule. Death rates dropped and plagues became less common.



A Fun Famous Name!

Willhelm Maximillian Wundt

 

Physician

Psychologist

Physiologist

Philosopher

Professor

 

(I ran out of P words that applied to him)

 

Regarded as the Father of experimental Psychology. He is famous for having studied the nature of religious belief

 

The Wundt illusion was developed by Wundt. The two red lines appear curved however they are straight.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wundt_illusion