Intimate Enemies (L'ennemi intime)
The Scars of War Last Forever
Algeria, 1959. Young lieutenant Terrien (Benoît Magimel) takes command of an outpost in Algeria, a country fighting for its independence from France. He befriends a young local boy joining his platoon and a disullusioned veteran (Albert Dupontel). War and its atrocities will quickly put his moral values to the test.
Member Reviews
Strong Film - MikeB
This is a strong film about France’s colonial war in Algeria. It has an anti-war message that well demonstrates the evil of colonialism and the self-destructiveness of war on the individual participants.
No side is glorified (or put another way both sides are vilified) and indeed we can see that Algeria was a prior version of Vietnam and for that matter our modern day wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The film does not evade controversial subjects like torture – an ugly product of all wars.
I felt the characters to be well-defined with a good and engaging script. The main focus is on a novice and idealistic captain who comes to serve his country and begins a slow descent into the abyss.Who is the enemy? - caladonia
A wonderful timely film which brings into focus the human toll that
war brings. Just like its earlier counterpart "The Battle of Algiers" it
portrays the physical and psychological stress experienced by the modern soldier supposedly working in a peace-keepng role in a country where he he is uncertain of the terrain, the enemy and the morality of his task there. The film poses questions about the French presence in Algeria but the scenario could just as easily be Vietnam, Iraq or Afghanistan. A must see for those interested in warfare and its history.An outstanding war film. - Frank_Ricard
This was an outstanding film about a tragic period in French history.
The French war in the French colony of Algeria in the late 1950s (only finally called a war by the French government in 1999) was in many ways a civil war.
WWII veterans who had fought side by side for France in the liberation of Europe were now killing one another a decade later. Decorated Algerian war heroes were now considered enemies of the state and terrorists.
Many of those involved were terribly conflicted about what, and who, was right and wrong in the conflict. Were they traitors and terrorists, or patriots and freedom fighters? And what if the enemy is actually morally right, and one is fighting to perpetuate an injustice? Does the end justify the means?
The focus of this film is the dehumanizing effect that a war like this has on those that fight on either side. It demonstrates in painful detail how it can crush one's ideals, morality, belief in right and wrong...and ultimately one's will to live.
That is what this film is about.
Member Reviews
Read All...
Strong Film - MikeB
This is a strong film about France’s colonial war in Algeria. It has an anti-war message that well demonstrates the evil of colonialism and the self-destructiveness of war on the individual participants.
No side is glorified (or put another way both ...Who is the enemy? - caladonia
A wonderful timely film which brings into focus the human toll that
war brings. Just like its earlier counterpart "The Battle of Algiers" it
portrays the physical and psychological stress experienced by the modern soldier supposedly working in a peace-keepng ...An outstanding war film. - Frank_Ricard
This was an outstanding film about a tragic period in French history.
The French war in the French colony of Algeria in the late 1950s (only finally called a war by the French government in 1999) was in many ways a civil war.
WWII veterans ...