RFN68 A German Youth

Formalist trickery is the basis of this historical film exploring the creation and historical impact of the Red Army Faction/Baader Meinhof Group. Using only pre-existing audio visual sources Jean-Gabriel Periot creates a densely layered critical historical document which remains aesthetically enthralling.

Prominent short filmmaker Jean-Gabriel Periot makes a welcome transition to feature-length documentaries with “A German Youth,” a thought-provoking look at the Baader-Meinhof group and the political debates of the era. While the people and events are hardly cinema newcomers, this entirely found-footage work takes a different tack, situating the clique and the Red Army Faction within postwar German debates: How was democracy understood in a nation recovering from fascism? Periot’s superb editing, long one of the hallmarks of his award-winning shorts, is much in evidence, and while the direct, post-1970s consequences are left out, intelligent audiences can’t fail to make parallels with today.

A German Youth
France - Germany / 2015 / 93 minutes
German Language / English Subtitles
Written by Jean-Gabriel Periot (concept) Pierre Hodgson / Anne Steiner / Nicole Brenez / Anne Paschetta
Produced by Nicolas Breviere
Directed by Jean-Gabriel Periot
Edited by Jean-Gabriel Periot