If Not Us, Who? (2011)

West Germany, early 1960s. Star crossed lovers Bern and Gudrun begin a life long affair in the stifling atmosphere of provincial Germany. Setting out to challenge the establishment they ... See full summary »

Director:

Andres Veiel

Writers:

Gerd Koenen (story), Andres Veiel (screenplay)

Stars:

August Diehl, Lena Lauzemis, Alexander Fehling

6 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
August Diehl	...	Bernward Vesper
Lena Lauzemis	...	Gudrun Ensslin
Alexander Fehling	...	Andreas Baader
Thomas Thieme	...	Willi Vesper - Vater
Imogen Kogge	...	Rose Vesper - Mutter
Michael Wittenborn	...	Helmut Ensslin - Vater
Susanne Lothar	...	Ilse Ensslin - Mutter
Sebastian Blomberg	...	Klaus Roehler
Vicky Krieps	...	Dörte
Martin Butzke	...	Dieter Kunzelmann
Christina Hecke	...	Anne
Maria Dragus	...	Ruth Ensslin (as Maria-Victoria Dragus)
Rainer Bock	...	Verteidiger
Susanne-Marie Wrage	...	Gefängnisleiterin
Benjamin Sadler	...	Walter Jens

Storyline

West Germany, early 1960s. Star crossed lovers Bern and Gudrun begin a life long affair in the stifling atmosphere of provincial Germany. Setting out to challenge the establishment they become part of the global uprising joining forces with leftist writers and political activists. By the late 60s Gudrun has joined the gang lead by Andreas Baader and Ulrike Meinhof and Bern risks his sanity to finally writing a novel to change the world. An emotional true story of an explosive era starring August Diehl (Inglourious Basterds (2009), A Hidden Life (2019), Salt (2010)).

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Plot Keywords:

male nudity | male frontal nudity | pubic hair | male pubic hair | terrorism | 

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Taglines:

Something must change... [Etwas muss sich ändern...]

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Fictionalization of the real life events that were also the basis for The Baader Meinhof Complex (2008), Germany in Autumn (1978), Baader (2002), Black Box BRD (2001), Marianne & Juliane (1981), Stammheim - The Baader-Meinhof Gang on Trial (1986), A German Youth (2015), Starbuck Holger Meins (2002), Baader-Meinhof: In Love with Terror (2002), Andreas Baader - Der Staatsfeind (2002), Die RAF (2007), Ulrike Marie Meinhof (1995), World in Action: Prisoner of Terrorism (1978), Deutsche Lebensläufe: Ulrike Meinhof (2007), History: Die RAF - Tödliche Illusion (2007) and were strongly related with Marianne & Juliane (1981), Wildentiere (1969), Gudrun Ensslin - the early years (1968), Den fjärde mannen (2014), Der Fall Susanne Albrecht (2017), Children of the Revolution (2010), Sekigun-P.F.L.P: Sekai sensô sengen (1971), Schleyer - Eine deutsche Geschichte (2003), Mogadischu (2008) and present in the storylines of Long Shadows (2008), The Worst Thing (2019) and Joschka und Herr Fischer (2011).

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Soundtracks

In a broken dream
Written by Dave Bentley
Performed by Python Lee Jackson featuring Rod Stewart

User Reviews

Debates where ideas for extremism and terrorism might come from

This biographical film about the twin souls Bernward Vesper and Gudrun Enselin, the latter known from the terrorist groups Rote Arme Fraction and Baader-Meinhof, when she later on meets Andras Baader, gives a good explanation to what we might call deranged ideas.

The introduction is when young Bernward just after the war experiences his Nazi father killing his beloved cat because it eats a baby bird fallen den from a nest, explaining it with that a cat is not natural to the birds, and that cats are the Jews of th animal world. Then the film jumps to his time at the inversion, where it's obvious that he is torn between his fathers influence and radical ideas. He meets up with Gudrun, which is equally disturbed, and we follow their collaboration in a publishing if controversial writers, and further on towards terrorist ideas.

In between we get clips of news both from German politics as well as world politics with the Cuban crisis and killing of Kennedy and the Vietnam war, to place both the story in time and history, just done like in a couple of other well known German films. Though the quality if this clips are diverse, it helps in getting the history straight.

It's a good periodical piece, based in the early sixties, down to silly hairstyles. Th film is well played, but I struggled in liking any of the characters, which I find quite necessary to really make a movie like this hit me. I don't know if these persons was possible for other than parents to love, but it doesn't help the story. Maybe it's made that way, for us not to get sympathy with them. How Andreas Baader charmed Gudrun is more obvious here.

Either way, this difficulty in identifying with the main persons really doesn't work to make a masterpiece of a film. The result is only mildly interesting, and only if you like to study and debate the reason of radicalism and even terrorism, here in the basis of troubled thought around not really dealing with the Nazi movement.

Anyway, in today's society we struggle in understanding what makes "normal" people terrorists, and how to foresee and prevent these in developing. If you get an answer here I really don't know, and I still will find it difficult to understand the force to commit terrorist acts.

Well made, but you'll struggle in being engaged. Don't watch this when not ready. This is no action movie,but a slow moving drama with no climax. If you want action, see "The Baader Meihof complex" instead, which starts with the fire bombs in the shopping center, where there's more action. The best is to watch this first and the other after-wards, as complimentary movies.

Details

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Release Date:

10 March 2011 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Cine, daca nu noi?

Filming Locations:

Germany

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$526,344

Company Credits

Production Co:

ARD Degeto Film, Beauftragter der Bundesregierung für Angelegenheiten der Kultur und der Medien (BKM), Degeto Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1