movie review

Though the following movie is unrelated to the Spanish culture, as many of you know, I am also gaining a deeper understanding of German culture during my time in Spain.
_____________________________________________________

The Baader-Meinhof Complex (2008) tells the story of the first generation of the Red Army Faction (RAF), a German terrorist group in the 1960's and '70s. After setting the stage with a vivid account of the events leading up to the formation of the group, the film follows the radical founders through their daily life and the planning and execution of several attacks of escalating violence. A view of the opposing side shows politicians struggling to shut down the group and restore order in a time when young people are protesting the Vietnam War around the world. What starts as an exciting chain of events inspired by idealism and youth activism quickly becomes a misguided, violent and foolish game, as the police force, too, turns more and more towards oppression of the people. Though more sympathetic to the left, the film does not shy away from showing the crazed and twisted minds of the extreme leftists. The viewer is torn from left to right and develops a growing sense of disillusion with the entire ordeal once he witnesses the mental and physical degeneration of the RAF's founders and the birth of the second generation of terrorists. The protagonists begin to lose any redeeming qualities they might have once had, and the final result is a resounding sentiment amongst the viewers that violence is never the answer.

I recommend this movie to all. Find a way to see it.