New Sweet 16mm Screening at Lisbon Cinema (mamuta in Hansen) ~ Free Entrance
in collaboration with the Jerusalem Cinematheq and the Israeli Film Archives

The Little Soldier (French: Le Petit Soldat) is a 1960 French film, written and directed by French filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard, but not released until 1963. It was Godard’s first film with Anna Karina, who starred as Véronica Dreyer alongside Michel Subor (as Bruno Forestier).

During the Algerian War, Bruno Forestier lives in Geneva to escape the enlistment in France. Working for French intelligence, he is ordered to kill Palivoda, who is pro-FLN (National Liberation Front of Algeria), to prove he is not a double agent. Refusal and hesitation keep him from carrying out the assassination.

Meanwhile, he meets and falls in love with Véronica Dreyer, who helped the FLN. Bruno plans to leave with her for Brazil, but is captured and tortured by Algerian revolutionaries.

He escapes, and agrees to kill Palivoda for the French in exchange for passage to Brazil for himself and Veronica. However, the French discover Veronica’s ties to the FLN, and torture her to death.