Jean-Gabriel Périot in his feature-length debut considers the genesis of leftist terrorism in 1970s Western Europe. By analyzing variegated materials, he investigates the historical and social context of the Red Army Faction. Périot pays particular attention to the role of engaged art, especially film, in evoking radical moods among German youth. The revolutionary films of Holger Meins found in an archive of the Berlin Film School appear here alongside the activist reporting of Ulrike Meinhof, but also with fragments of popular news programs. Périot combines them in a masterly way; while assuring the proper rhythm of images, he delights with visual flavors such as ad-nauseam recordings of stylized TV news show credits. His ability to truly capture the feel of German Autumn 1977 results not just from hours spent digging through archives, but also his visual refinement and extreme social sensitivity. 

Konrad Wirkowski

Q&A with film director after the screening on 13.12