Andres Veiel’s historical drama If Not Us, Who? charts the explosive love-hate relationship between left-wing German intellectuals Bernward Vesper and Gudrun Ensslin. Vesper, the son of a writer celebrated by the Nazis and the provocative Ensslin become part of the revolutionary movement that in the late 1960s brought their parents’ generation to task for Nazi war crimes and the Holocaust. Whereas Vesper confines himself to changing the outside world from within his small publishing house, Ensslin grows convinced that radical action is the only answer. The central drama of the film is her journey from intellectual activist (and mother) to terrorist member of Andreas Baader’s gang.
If Not Us, Who? is replete with explosive themes, characters and situations and serves as a deeply psychological account of the political and moral dilemmas surrounding the transition from youthful politicism to outright terrorism. Director Veiel’s debut offering is a heady mix of historical accounts and incendiary drama, particularly bringing to light the electric on-screen chemistry of starring couple August Diehl and Lena Lauzemis. - Colm McAuliffe, Jameson Dublin International Film Festival
Presented in co-operation with the Goethe-Institut Irland