If Not Us, Who?
If Not Us, Who?
West Germany, early 1960s. Bernward Vesper, son of an infamous Nazi author, and Gudrun Ensslin begin a passionate romance in the restless atmosphere of provincial Germany. Carrying the burden of the older generation's Nazi history on their young shoulders, they become part of the global uprising, joining forces with leftist writers and political activists.
2.8 out of 5 based on 9 reviews
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Omniscore:
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| Certificate |
|
| Genre |
Drama, History |
| Director |
Andres Veiel |
| Cast |
Lena Lauzemis, Alexander Fehling, August Diehl |
| Studio |
Soda Pictures |
| Release Date |
March 2012 |
| Running Time |
124 mins |
| |
West Germany, early 1960s. Bernward Vesper, son of an infamous Nazi author, and Gudrun Ensslin begin a passionate romance in the restless atmosphere of provincial Germany. Carrying the burden of the older generation's Nazi history on their young shoulders, they become part of the global uprising, joining forces with leftist writers and political activists.
Reviews
Total Film
Emma Dibdin
“A shrewd two-pronged portrait of psychological unravelling against a vast political backdrop, with a daring, disturbing performance from Lauzemis.”
02/03/2012
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The Evening Standard
Derek Malcolm
“Director Andres Veiel has delivered an intriguing and often imposing film, one he calls “a radical love story”, which distinguishes it from both Christopher Roth’s Baader and Uli Edel’s The Baader-Meinhof Complex, and it has a remarkable performance from Lena Lauzemis as Ensslin, which alone makes it worth seeing.
”
02/03/2012
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Screen
Jonathan Romney
“Provocative – and will no doubt cause controversy in its home territory – in its depiction of political radicalism as akin to, or informed by, personal psychosis. But Veiel’s script – informed by Gerd Koenen’s book Vesper, Ensslin, Baader: Prehistory of German Terrorism – displays impressive cogency in examining the relations between words, beliefs and action in a cultural context that is as influenced by literary as by political allegiances.
”
18/02/2011
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Empire Magazine
Kim Newman
“If you already own The Baader Meinhof Complex and you're looking for the other half of the definitive Red Army Faction double-bill, here it is. Even f you're not, there's still plenty of quality here to grip your attention.”
27/02/2012
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Time Out
Tom Huddleston
“For a film about revolutionaries, this plays it far too safe.”
28/02/2012
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The Times
Wendy Ide
“While there is no question that this was a turbulent time in German history, it doesn’t get any easier to spend time with characters who recite chunks of political rhetoric with a glassy-eyed fervour and relax in the evening by accusing each other of being insufficiently committed to the cause. ”
02/03/2012
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The Financial Times
Nigel Andrews
“The meticulous period set-dressing jostles with some weird character-dressing. Are Lauzemis’s mannish features and alien-looking hair, sitting on her like a wig, meant to groom us for the hinted themes of sexual ambivalence? Diehl himself gets a Shirley MacLaine fringe, presumably in a bid to make a 36-year-old German screen star look 20. ”
01/03/2012
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The Guardian
Peter Bradshaw
“A severe, opaque, episodic movie.”
01/03/2012
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The Sunday Times
Cosmo Landesman
“Veiel’s film has a few chilling moments, but is dramatically flat for most of the first hour.”
04/03/2012
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