Utilizing a jarring editing style, discontinuous sound and a non-sequential narrative, Yesterday Girl effectively destabilizes its audience and conveys a sense of chaos within Germany in the 1960’s.

The professor, however, circles around Anita’s actual question and, instead, offers unrelated and nonsensical comments about reading more books, and the difference between love and fear.

Even Anita is subjected to this form of training when her probation officer attempts to coach her into delivering canned responses to complex questions, such as “what is good?” The dialogue in Yesterday Girl is intentionally rigid in order to convey Germany’s refusal to reconcile with its past.

Kluge is ridiculing this behaviour by presenting dialogue that lacks authenticity, with characters willfully ignoring and avoiding any complex topics.

As such, Kluge is attempting to free cinema from its “intellectual isolation”, presenting a film with real artistic and political importance by commenting on the meaninglessness of Germany’s past cinematic efforts.