Le Petit soldat

Jean-Luc Godard’s 1963 follow up feature (technically-speaking) to his critically revered debut À bout de souffle, was also his first collaboration with future wife and muse, Anna Karina.

Set in the backdrop of the Algerian war, Bruno Forrestier (Michel Subor), a French deserter living in Geneva, is ordered to kill a left-wing activist in order to prove his allegiance. Embarking reluctantly on his mission, Bruno soon comes across the stunning Véronica Dreye (Anna Karina), also a left-wing activist, with whom he falls in love.
Godard adeptly employs all manner of techniques (handheld camera, incursive narration, cross-cutting) that we associate with his work to generate the palpable tension following Subor and Karina’s decision to flee their respective comrades.

Made before À bout de souffle but banned by French censors until 1963 due to avant-garde treatment of the sensitive subject matter at the time (Algerian war and torture), this really is compulsory viewing for any fan of the Nouvelle Vague.