L'ennemi intime (2007)

A drama following a French platoon during Algeria's war of independence.

Director:

Florent-Emilio Siri

Writers:

Patrick Rotman (screenplay), Florent-Emilio Siri (adaptation),

Stars:

Benoît Magimel, Albert Dupontel, Aurélien Recoing

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Benoît Magimel	...	Lieutenant Terrien
Albert Dupontel	...	Sergent Dougnac
Aurélien Recoing	...	Commandant Vesoul
Marc Barbé	...	Capitaine Berthaut
Eric Savin	...	Le sergent tortionnaire
Mohamed Fellag	...	Idir Danoun (as Fellag)
Lounès Tazairt	...	Saïd
Abdelhafid Metalsi	...	Rachid
Vincent Rottiers	...	Lefranc
Lounès Machene	...	Amar
Adrien Saint-Joré	...	Lacroix
Guillaume Gouix	...	Delmas
Ange Ruzé	...	Théron
Salem Aït-Ali-Belkacem	...	Ouramdam
Antoine Laurent	...	Maheu

Storyline

A drama following a French platoon during Algeria's war of independence.

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Plot Keywords:

algeria | shot in the back | helicopter | metaphor | napalm | 

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Taglines:

The wounds of war never heal. [Scandinavian DVD.]

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Genres:

Drama | History | War

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site [jp] SND [fr]

Country:

France Morocco

Language:

French Arabic Kabyle

Release Date:

2 October 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Feind in den eigenen Reihen - Intimate Enemies

Filming Locations:

Atlas Mountains, Morocco

Box Office

Budget:

€9,780,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Films du Kiosque, SND, France 2 Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When first offered the role, Albert Dupontel turned it down because he felt his character, at that point a torturer, to be "too negative". Rather than cast another actor in the part, Florent-Emilio Siri decided to rewrite the character as more human, as he felt Dupontel was the only actor who could do justice to the part.

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Connections

Version of L'ennemi intime (2002)

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Soundtracks

"Le cha cha cha du loup"
Written by Serge Gainsbourg, Alain Goraguer
Lyrics by Serge Gainsbourg
Performed by Serge Gainsbourg

User Reviews

amazing, gripping movie

An incredibly-filmed, gripping, and haunting movie about the horrors of guerrilla warfare, from the perspective of French troops in Algeria. The film is hypnotizing in its portrayal of the way in which violence and torture end up shattering these men's psyche and spirit.

The movie is also a good reminder of the hypocrisy of imperial powers. Many French fought the Nazi Germans when they invaded their country in the name of "freedom", but just 20 years later they were trying to crush the Algerian resistance for doing exactly the same thing: opposing a foreign, colonial occupation of their land. Yet the movie avoids simplistic dichotomies and, far from romanticizing the Algerian FLN, it crudely shows the atrocities committed by both sides. The landscapes in which the action takes place are mesmerizing in their crude, gripping, raw beauty.