This is a very clever film, intelligently and artistically using the period and weaving the historic themes into a gently comic tale that takes us to this remarkable time and place. The characters are so well written and played that we immediately identify with them all--Alex's frantic desperation to keep things the way they were, Ariane's desire to move on with her Western boyfriend (the hilarious and underused Beyer) and a new job at Burger King, Christiane's dawning realisation that the world has changed while she was sleeping ... and not just outside the family flat. It does go on a bit in the middle, with perhaps 15 minutes too many of goofy antics and knowing jokes. But director-cowriter Becker has the skills to weave in a tender and somewhat complex romance, as well as some emotional moments that catch the back of our throats, especially when the issue of the long-lost father comes around again (as it must!). The nature of the truth in restoring relationships is very subtly woven in here, and it's powerful stuff indeed.