Le petit soldat

In 1958, Bruno Forestier deserts from the French army and hides in Geneva. He secretly works for La Main Rouge, a French terrorist organization, while posing as a reporter. The arrangement is precarious and keeps him in a constant state of danger.

La Main Rouge assigns Bruno to kill Arthur Palivoda, a radio host who is pro-FLN and supportive of Algerian independence. Although he has killed before, Bruno refuses at first, citing the danger and his lack of strong political convictions. The mission is meant to prove his loyalty to the group.

Bruno meets Véronica Dreyer and falls in love with her. Unbeknownst to him, Véronica is secretly working with the FLN. The romance deepens his inner conflict between personal loyalty and political affiliation.

La Main Rouge stages a hit-and-run with Bruno’s car to pressure him into following Palivoda. Bruno agrees to carry out the assassination so charges are dropped and he won’t be sent back to France, but he keeps hesitating. The tension between duty and personal safety grows.

Bruno’s hesitation persists as the mission lingers. He vacillates between duty and his own safety, and ultimately decides again not to kill Palivoda. The conflict between allegiance and conscience remains unresolved.

Bruno is now viewed as a traitor by the French. He plans to escape to Brazil with Véronica to avoid reprisals and start anew away from the conflict.

The Algerians, having seen him following Palivoda, capture and torture Bruno. He endures interrogation as they press for information about Palivoda and the group’s plans. The torture marks a brutal turn in his ordeal.

Bruno escapes by leaping from the second-floor window of his room. The escape is perilous and shows his determination to survive and continue the fight against his captors. He narrowly avoids recapture once free.

He tries to obtain two diplomatic passports from the French by telling them where he was held. The Algerians have moved out, so this gambit fails and he remains a prisoner of circumstance. The attempt illustrates his desperate bid for safety.

The French discover Véronica’s ties to the FLN and abduct her. They torture her for the location of the Algerians’ hideout, leveraging her to gain leverage over Bruno. The personal and political lines blur as both are drawn into danger.

Bruno finally carries out the assassination of Palivoda to obtain the required papers. The act marks a grim milestone in his moral journey and demonstrates the price of survival in this web of loyalties. The outcome also seals Véronica’s fate in a hidden, tragic way.

After Palivoda’s death, Bruno learns that Véronica has died. He states that he has learned not to be bitter about it, signaling a hardened, but tempered, outlook shaped by the ordeals he endured. The ending emphasizes the cost of choosing loyalty over life.