Berlin Hero screens as part of this year’s 2026 HSBC German Film Festival, more information about the festival is available here: The 2026 HSBC German Film Festival returns to cinemas in May
Read the Glam Adelaide story about the festival here: 2026 HSBC German Film Festival begins 6 May to 27 May at Palace Nova Cinemas – Glam Adelaide
Berlin Hero was the opening night film for this year’s German Film Festival. It is the last film by the great German filmmaker, Wolfgang Becker (who made the superb Good Bye Lenin!) and was completed just before his death. Berlin Hero is another brilliant Becker tragicomedy and a strong opening to this year’s festival lineup.
Berlin Hero is set in 2019 nearing the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, however the usual public commemorations of the event have become familiar. In search of a new angle for “Fakt” magazine, reporter Alexander Landmann (Leon Ullrich) studies old Stasi files of the the time and uncovers the story of a Reichsbahn’s employee Micha Hartung (Charly Hübner) who the Stasi credited with planning and orchestrating the largest mass escape from East Germany which brought 127 passengers from an East Berlin S-Bahn train to the western part of the city on June 23, 1984.
Landmann tracks Hartung down to Hartung’s financially troubled video shop, where he also lives in the back, to interview him. Hartung denies planning the escape or being in the custody of the Stasi for months. However, seduced by Landmann’s offer of money, Hartung decides to play along with Landmann’s inflated version of his involvement and agrees to be interviewed. When the story is published, Hartung discovers that Landmann has dramatically and sensationally overinflated the truth and Hartung becomes a national hero.
As a part of his new heroic status, Hartung is invited to appear on a popular TV chat show and after appearing on the show he meets Paula (Christiane Paul), who was a young passenger on the train, but with his new fame his life becomes chaotic.
Based on Maxim Leo’s novel, co-writers Constantin Lieb and Becker have developed a multi-level script that cleverly looks at truth in the post-truth world, the absurdities of modern celebrity as well as weaving in a budding love story. Bernd Fischer’s cinematography under Becker’s direction brings this fast moving storyline together expertly.
Leon Ullrich as the weaselly reporter who blooms as his success grows and Charly Hübner as Hartung always grappling with the deception are masterful. They are well supported by the rest of the cast, especially Christiane Paul and Thorsten Merten, whose character is seeking to find out what actually happened.
Berlin Hero is an intelligent well-paced film with many humorous parts adorned with a cast of excellent actors and is a fitting bookend to Wolfgang Becker’s career.
Reviewed by Rob McKinnon
Rating 4 out of 5
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Berlin Hero is another brilliant Becker tragicomedy and a strong opening to this year’s German Film Festival lineup.
