October 3rd, 1990. A wave of revolution is spreading through the Eastern Bloc. In a swift move, the socialist East Germany is absorbed into its Western counterpart. 8 months ago, reunification was a radical idea. Now capitalism, consumerism and freedom of travel are the new way of life. Two films produced in the early 2000s capture this whiplash moment. 

In Good Bye, Lenin! (2003) we watch Germany reunify through the eyes of the Kerner family. After falling into a coma, Christiane is oblivious to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of her beloved socialist homeland. Under doctor’s orders to avoid any sudden shocks, her children Alex and Ariane hide the reality of reunification from their frail mother. The GDR (German Democratic Republic) is back...if only within the walls of their apartment.  Alex finds himself caught between two worlds – the socialist fantasy suspended in his mother’s bedroom and the reality of reunified Germany that he’s not ready to face. Spinning the façade into an ever more elaborate lie, Alex rewrites a palatable version of events, softening the blow for his mother and for himself. Alex refuses to let go of the past; he’s tied to the GDR by memories of his mother. Vignettes of Alex’s childhood are warm and cozy, while the oppressive GDR state machinery takes a back seat.

Seeping with GDR iconography, Good Bye, Lenin! mirrors the trend of Ostalgie- a portmanteau of the German words for “East” and “Nostalgia”. Since reunification there has been a wave of demand for GDR-era products. Across the East, themed restaurants, hotels and corner shops offer a step back in time. While these could easily be written off as kitschy tourist traps, many are run by and for former East Germans nostalgic for simpler times. While GDR archives tell of a dictatorship with history’s biggest secret police force, those who toed the party line lived in relative comfort. Like Alex, many East Germans are bound to their former lives by memory.

Berlin is in Germany (2001) follows Martin, recently released into reunified Germany after a 10-year stint in prison. The fish-out-of-water struggles to adapt to the reunified Berlin, which he's only seen through a TV screen. Martin has – in a popular saying- “emigrated without leaving home”. Berlin’s streets have been relieved of their socialist eponyms and the once familiar city is now foreign. Director Hanns Stöhr doesn’t set the film against the iconic Brandenburg Gate or Unter den Linden. Rather it's the soviet-built TV tower that shapes the skyline, a nod to the Berlin Martin knew.  The ex-con drifts across Berlin, governed by train routes and parole meetings. He isn’t under the control of GDR anymore, but Martin still doesn’t control his own narrative. 

Martin’s circumstances may be unique, but his isolation from the West rings true for many East Germans. After reunification, a clear rift appeared between the two halves. Any demographic data of present-day Germany tells the same story – East Germans have low average wages, life satisfaction and differing voting patterns. The Berlin Wall may be gone, but the “mental wall” remains ever present.  Ostalgie is by no means universal. Victims of the regime who were isolated in political prisons find it harder to don rose-coloured glasses. Remembering the GDR is not just about honouring the victims of the state but also seeing the bonds that, like Alex and Martin, keep the East tied to its past.