Ulrike Marie Meinhof

Ulrike Marie Meinhof was the brain behind the Red Army fraction commonly referred to in Frech as the “Bande à Baader”. Timon Koulmasis´ work embarks on a journey through contemporary Germany in a bid to redefine the somewhat superficial image left by Ulrike Meinhof. It films people and places, constantly wavering between two points in time – the decade of 1970s and the personal memories of those who were the friends and sympathisers of Ulrike Marie Meinhof. The priviliged status of the director – a close friend of the family- has enabled him to present the life of this terrorist in a different light. What is the true story behind Ulrike´s incursion into terrorism? What was the true personality of this woman, who was neither a martyr nor a cold-blooded criminal? As a child, Timon Koulmassis used to play with Ulrike Meinhof´s daughter, to whom the voice-over commentary is addressed; his own mother was to become the mistress, and later the company of Ulrike Mainhof´s husband. Humility is the overriding tone of this intimate biography, closely linked to the story of Germany, terrorism and urban guerrilla warfare. The moral integrity of Timon Koulmasis and his refusal to exploit his personal involvement – a golden opportunity to indulge to sensationalism, with the painstakingly avoids- are not only a matter of principles, but also of truth: because of his detached attitude, he succeeds in giving an accurate description of a woman known to all as the symbol of a generation, yet unknown to all, a woman who remains a mystery to her close entourage. Ulrike Marie Meinhof is a documentary film which attempts to find out the truth, a fundamentally different approach from that of a reportage, in which the facts are taken for garanted.