A German Youth

This documentary is fitfully thought-provoking, and particularly good at illustrating political fault lines of the time.

Fiendishly researched and smartly constructed, "A German Youth" is a formidable piece of documentary detective work focusing on a small but significant historical moment that continues to matter.

This densely layered documentary reveals how members of a disillusioned post-war generation gradually transformed into left-wing militants whose actions would have deadly consequences for all involved.

How refreshing to have a director refuse black-and-white conclusions, knowing that formulating questions is the best way to probe the past and its ramifications.

It's a compelling portrait that masterfully tracks down and assembles footage to document the radicalization of youth in a seemingly stable society on the verge of teetering into oblivion.

A German Youth presents the historical evidence and leaves the audience to form their own opinions and draw their own conclusions about how and why the Red Army Faction came to be and how and why they should be remembered.

Can we even make a movie of this? Film maker Jean-Gabriel Périot gives it a good try.

A uniquely compelling look at an oft-simplified time in German history and forces audiences to grapple not only with the shift from protest group to violent organisation but also the means through which we engage with that kind of narrative.