Ballad of the Little Soldier

Werner Herzog's 1984 documentary concerns Miskito communities fighting the Sandinista government in Nicaragua. At its centre are child soldiers, some eleven, some thirteen years old, armed and trained. Herzog does not take a side here, but he does not keep his distance either; he asks the children questions directly on camera and does not cut their answers. The most disturbing moments are the children explaining why they fight in an adult vocabulary. Where they learned that vocabulary is the question the film never answers and never stops implying. It was made with Denis Reichle, who had himself been conscripted as a child in the Second World War, and that experience adds a personal layer. The running time is short, under an hour. Who it's for: those who follow Herzog's documentaries and can watch accounts of children used in war. Who it's not for: viewers wanting a full explanation of the conflict's political background; the film passes over context quickly and keeps its focus on the children.