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"Refuses to romanticize the actions of the Red Army Faction (RAF) yet similarly offers no condemnation, demanding that audiences consider the political and social atmosphere of the period." – Variety
The 60s and 70s were marked by enormous political and social upheaval. While counter-culturalism in Carnaby Street and Haight-Ashbury took the form of flower power and free love, a cadre of young radicals – including Andreas Baader and Ulrike Meinhof – played for keeps in the conflict between capitalism and communism on the continent … with historic consequences.
Constructed entirely from found footage, A German Youth is Jean-Gabriel Périot's fascinating and incisive exploration of how the idealism that underpinned the 60s in West Germany devolved into seething disillusionment, bitterness and the chilling militancy of the Red Army Faction. Providing extra context, Périot contrasts the Baader-Meinhof gang's radical actions with the politically engaged works of seminal filmmakers Godard, Antonioni and Fassbinder, resulting in an essential film for fans of cinema and politics, that "leads to uncomfortable realisations about where we are now" (Variety).