Character Relationship Map: Baader

Characters

• Andreas Baader (played by Frank Giering) — protagonist
• Gudrun Ensslin (played by Laura Tonke) — supporting
• Ulrike Meinhof (played by Birge Schade) — supporting
• Karin (played by Jana Pallaske) — supporting
• Innenminister (played by Eric P. Caspar) — supporting

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Karin → Innenminister (Conflict Political Adversary) — Karin is positioned within the underground movement opposed by the state apparatus.

  Karin is involved with militants entering the underground, while the Innenminister coordinates repression and police measures against that movement.

• Ulrike Meinhof → Innenminister (Conflict Political Adversary) — Their opposition is ideological and institutional rather than shown as a private dispute.

  Meinhof is named as an organizational leader in the same report that frames the RAF as a security threat addressed by the state.

• Gudrun Ensslin → Innenminister (Conflict Political Adversary) — They represent opposing sides of the conflict between revolutionary militants and the state.

  The Innenminister discusses repression against the militant environment, while Ensslin is identified as a leader of the organization targeted by the a...

• Andreas Baader → Innenminister (Conflict State Pursuer) — The minister directs the state response to the pursuit of Baader.

  The radio identifies Baader as wanted, while the Innenminister orders vehicle checks after police learn that Baader's BMW is traveling toward Frankfur...

• Ulrike Meinhof → Karin (Alliance Group Associate) — They are connected through the same underground political movement.

  Karin is part of the underground circle in which the movement's political goals, resources, and risks are debated.

• Gudrun Ensslin → Karin (Alliance Group Associate) — Their relationship reflects differing levels of commitment within the militant group.

  Karin hesitates about going underground while the other militants insist that political words must be followed by action.

• Andreas Baader → Karin (Alliance Group Associate) — Karin is connected to Baader through the same revolutionary network.

  Karin is shown among the militants discussing underground work, supplies, political action, and the consequences of an associate's arrest.

• Gudrun Ensslin → Ulrike Meinhof (Alliance Co-Leader) — They are presented as parallel leaders within the RAF structure.

  The report names both Gudrun Ensslin and Ulrike Meinhof as leaders of the organization.

• Andreas Baader → Ulrike Meinhof (Alliance Teammate) — Their connection is defined by leadership and membership in the same militant organization.

  The radio report names Ulrike Meinhof as a leader of the organization after identifying Andreas Baader as a wanted RAF terrorist.

• Andreas Baader → Gudrun Ensslin (Alliance Teammate) — They belong to the same revolutionary organization and participate in its underground activities.

  The plot identifies Gudrun Ensslin as one of the RAF leaders and places her within the underground militant group alongside Andreas Baader.

Story Analysis

The film traces the radicalization of an underground movement while presenting the escalating pursuit between militant resistance and state power.

Plot Progression

1. From Protest To Underground — The film introduces revolutionary ideology, Baader's criminalized past, and the unrest surrounding student demonstrations. Activists conclude that conventional protest has failed and decide to organiz...
2. The State Tightens Its Grip — The authorities respond to demonstrations with planning, technology, and police formations. The Innenminister recognizes that repression may intensify the violence it seeks to prevent.
3. Training Without Discipline — The militants train abroad in guerrilla tactics and explosives, but disputes over authority and ammunition expose their lack of discipline. Their hosts arrest them for violating the conditions of hosp...
4. Underground Under Pressure — Back in Europe, the group builds a revolutionary structure using stolen cars, weapons, ammunition, and explosives. Karin's hesitation, supply problems, and an associate's arrest reveal the movement's...
5. The Net Around Baader — A police shooting produces internal debate, while the militants use a false surrender report to manipulate the authorities. A fingerprint and vehicle tracking then bring Baader's pursuit to the Autoba...