by Yong Shu Hoong

Aust authored the 1985 non-fiction bestseller, The Baader Meinhof Complex. Adapted into an Oscar nominated film, his book focuses on the early days of a German terrorist group, the Red Army Faction (RAF), as it opposed capitalism with bombings and killings throughout the 1960s and 1970s.

Aust, 62, speaks about the film adaptation by acclaimed director Bernd Eichinger, in which actors Moritz Bleibtreu and Martina Gedeck portray two prominent RAF figures, Andreas Baader and Ulrike Meinhof, respectively.

How did the film adaptation of The Baader Meinhof Complex come about?

Bernd Eichinger is an old friend and one of Germany's best film producers. So I was very happy when he approached me about making the film. I took a year to write a draft for the script, which Eichinger cut down to feature-film length.

We then worked on the final script together.

When writing about terrorism, did you have to balance the urge to offer your own opinions with the need to remain nonjudgmental?

I am a journalist, so I researched and wrote down what had happened as accurately as possible. The main decision, from the very beginning, was not to offer a verdict. Readers can make up their own minds.

What did you think of the film?

All the actors are really good. I knew Ulrike Meinhof personally, from working at the magazine Konkret in the 1960s, and I have to say that actress Martin Gedeck was very close to the real person.

Catch The Baader Meinhof Complex at Cinema Europa at Golden Village VivoCity.

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