Ballad of the Little Soldier

Director Denis Reichle, Werner Herzog
Year 1984
Screened with Lessons of Darkness
Country Germany
Runtime 46m
Language English, German, Spanish
Format DCP
TMDB View entry
Synopsis

In this documentary double feature, Herzog draws attention to two of war’s most vulnerable victims — children and nature. First up, BALLAD OF THE LITTLE SOLDIER — He’s 10. He smiles. He laughs. He kills. Drawing a bead on the plight of child soldiers sent to fight the Sandinistas in 1980’s Nicaragua, Herzog, accompanied by French-German journalist Denis Reichle, aims his camera toward the ravaged youths forced to fight the wars of men.  And, without missing a shot of the action, hits the men behind the horrors which haunt the dreams of boys, who’ve all too soon learned: in war, there are no heroes.