Ballad of the Little SoldierIn war, when ethics and rules of engagement are tossed aside in the interest of victory, the conflict becomes one where what should seem unconscionable becomes a reality. In Werner Herzog's documentary, Ballad of the Little Soldier, this deals primarily with the idea of recruiting child soldiers to fight. This documentary takes place on the border of Nicaragua and Honduras, as a group of Miskito Indians who have fled from the former country to the latter build up their resistance force to retake their villages and excise the Sandinistas who have forced them from their residences and killed their people.
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Much of the initial impressions we have of Ballad of the Little Soldier are of the tragedy which has befallen the natives of the Nicaraguan jungles, the atrocities they have been forced to experience...we are even witness to a single skirmish along the banks of the Rio Coco, which separates the two nations. Account after account portray the Sandinistas as murders and war criminals; second hand, but there is no reason to doubt the authenticity of the horrors which have befallen these people. The Miskitos are grateful for the documentary party to tell their story--even slaughtering the only cow in the village to show their appreciation and to feed the filmmakers. The narration--provided by Herzog--indicates that their way of life is a kind of simple socialism, a community-based method of sustenance. But when the children soldiers are asked later of what communism is--they cannot answer it, except to say that the Sandinistas are "rabid dogs". The horrors which the children soldiers have had to endure is no doubt terrible, but what has also happened is that they have been brainwashed by their trainers; the particular trainer who translates this question of communism to one child soldier only asks it of him in an indirect way. The Miskito refugees are undermanned in respect to the military capabilities of the Sandinistas, true, but there is something inherently objectionable about recruiting children to fight in wars they do not understand. And yet, the trainers also indicate that the Sandinistas forcibly recruit children to fight for them, but their lack of training makes them poor soldiers--this comment is no doubt meant to boost morale in the youthful warriors. Herzog's friend--and co-director--Denis Reichle comments about how when he was a child of their age, he was drafted (by at that time Nazi Germany) to fight the Russians, and sees in these children soldiers the same kind of naive malleability which the trainers are exploiting, how the resistance is counting on their patriotism and bravery without context to make them into killing machines. He comments that he sees them as dead already.
Song is frequently used in Herzog's work--especially his documentaries--to illuminate a larger sense of theme and, like poetry, make us think about the situation presented in an abstract way; music is even a part of the film's title. Ballad of the Little Soldier opens with a child soldier turning on a song on a tape deck, awkwardly singing along, doing his best. The song is a wistful love song, about children, but sung with a kind of mature longing which would be more appropriate for an adult. It is unclear whether the child really knows what he is singing about, as he does not sound rehearsed nor does he make any special emphasis; but when the song is over, he looks up at the camera, smiling, as though he were proud he accomplished the task set before him. This whole scene is a preamble for the role of the child soldier--boys and girls who try to please the adults, going to lengths based on their faith that what they are doing is good, regardless of the reality of it. A lot of the facts about this time and place in history were a bit murky to the public, only made more clear in retrospect--the film directly depicts the results of what is called the "Iran-Contra affair", which is when the U.S. funded anti-Sandinistas (Contras) to fight; the documentary discloses this, as well as observing that the weapons originated in the "Eastern Bloc". What follows is that the people like the Miskito are fighting what could be described as a "proxy war", recruited to fight with minimal funding, and without direct involvement by the U.S. Although Herzog has expressed that his film was not intended to be political--but highlight the plight of the child soldier, a deplorable situation the world around--it is difficult not to see the events of Ballad of the Little Soldier without political context. Should children fight, ever? If they are brave, if they want revenge, if they believe their cause to be righteous in the face of clear violations of Geneva Conventions? The unfortunate truth is that it is too hard to police these situations to prevent escalations, pushing the boundaries of engagement; thus the child soldier is a reality. Ballad of the Little Soldier asks, "does it have to stay that way?"
Recommended for: Fans of documentaries about the personal effects on community and children of armed conflict and guerrilla warfare. Time has also made Ballad of the Little Soldier a close-up of the times and circumstances dealing with the Iran-Contra affair, so it is also enlightening for those interested in recent history and world conflict.
Song is frequently used in Herzog's work--especially his documentaries--to illuminate a larger sense of theme and, like poetry, make us think about the situation presented in an abstract way; music is even a part of the film's title. Ballad of the Little Soldier opens with a child soldier turning on a song on a tape deck, awkwardly singing along, doing his best. The song is a wistful love song, about children, but sung with a kind of mature longing which would be more appropriate for an adult. It is unclear whether the child really knows what he is singing about, as he does not sound rehearsed nor does he make any special emphasis; but when the song is over, he looks up at the camera, smiling, as though he were proud he accomplished the task set before him. This whole scene is a preamble for the role of the child soldier--boys and girls who try to please the adults, going to lengths based on their faith that what they are doing is good, regardless of the reality of it. A lot of the facts about this time and place in history were a bit murky to the public, only made more clear in retrospect--the film directly depicts the results of what is called the "Iran-Contra affair", which is when the U.S. funded anti-Sandinistas (Contras) to fight; the documentary discloses this, as well as observing that the weapons originated in the "Eastern Bloc". What follows is that the people like the Miskito are fighting what could be described as a "proxy war", recruited to fight with minimal funding, and without direct involvement by the U.S. Although Herzog has expressed that his film was not intended to be political--but highlight the plight of the child soldier, a deplorable situation the world around--it is difficult not to see the events of Ballad of the Little Soldier without political context. Should children fight, ever? If they are brave, if they want revenge, if they believe their cause to be righteous in the face of clear violations of Geneva Conventions? The unfortunate truth is that it is too hard to police these situations to prevent escalations, pushing the boundaries of engagement; thus the child soldier is a reality. Ballad of the Little Soldier asks, "does it have to stay that way?"
Recommended for: Fans of documentaries about the personal effects on community and children of armed conflict and guerrilla warfare. Time has also made Ballad of the Little Soldier a close-up of the times and circumstances dealing with the Iran-Contra affair, so it is also enlightening for those interested in recent history and world conflict.