The movie plays against the prevailing stereotypes of its era when the byword amongst the hippy generation was "don't trust anyone over 30". The character who is spontaneous, who affirms life is not the young man but rather the old woman. And her attitude is more than an affirmation, it's an indomitable in-the-here-and now "hell yes!" to her own past as a Holocaust survivor -- and her imminent demise.

Although I found the Holocaust thing a bit forced. Didn't need that to understand Maude's past and I thought it diminished her rebellious approach a bit - in the über-evil Antagonist of the Nazis. I would have liked the film to stay with the anti war movement.