AllMovie

A family's divided loyalties serves as a mirror of the struggle toward a reunified Germany in this drama from director Roland Suso Richter. Marco Kaiser (Kostja Ullmann) is a teenaged punk rocker living in East Berlin in 1988. Marco and his friends stage an underground punk rock show that runs afoul of local authorities, and his father Jurgen (Heino Ferch), who is an important figure in the state security department, is able to pull some strings and keep Marco out of jail. However, Jurgen is convinced his son is on the wrong path, and in exchange for keeping him out of prison he makes Marco join the Army. Both Marco and his family are surprised to find the rebellious young man takes to military life surprisingly well, and Marco discovers he has both leadership potential and a new respect for the socialist government. Marco's girlfriend Anja (Karoline Herfurth), who is studying to become a nurse, moves in with Jurgen and his wife Hanna (Veronica Ferres) while Marco is away, and as the winds of political change begin to sweep through Eastern Europe, Anja and Hanna become activists in the battle for a freer East Germany. However, their views run counter to Marco's new loyalty to the German Democratic Republic, while Jurgen is torn between his personal belief that greater freedom is necessary and the security of his place within the socialist government. Das Wunder Von Berlin (aka The Miracle Of Berlin) was produced for German television, but was also screened at a number of international film festivals, making its North American debut at the 2008 Montreal World Film Festival.