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THE BETRAYAL

by Philippe Faucon

synopsis

During the Algerian civil war, French Lieutenant Roque has been posted to a small, isolated villagein Algeria. His role is, officially, to pacify the Algerians, and to convince that the "good intentions" of the French presence in the country is well meant. But in fact, the main goal is the dismantling and severe repression of the FLN (Algerian undercover army of liberation). He tries hard to live up to his function, torn as he is between the resentful locals "who are subjected to brutality and torture", and the soldiers "whose morale and vigilance must be kept up at all costs". After the discovery of a notebook, containing confidential information, Roque is confronted with the possible betrayal of some of his men, all of them young recruits of North-African extraction. One of the suspects, Taieb, a protege of Roque's, attempts to make him aware of the agonising dilemmas he faces, being at once a French soldier, and Algerian-born. For Roque, the ensuing crisis, and its dramatic consequences for the already vulnerable unit, only emphasize the contradictions and absurdities of this "Nameless War".

international title: The Betrayal
original title: La Trahison
country: France, Belgium
sales agent: Pyramide International
year: 2005
genre: fiction
directed by: Philippe Faucon
film run: 76'
screenplay: Philippe Faucon, Claude Sales, Soraya Nini
cast: Vincent Martinez, Ahmed Berrahma, Cyril Troley, Walid Bouhzam, Patrick Descamps, Corentin Lobet, Morgan Marine, Thomas Stuck, Jean-Michel Vovk
cinematography by: Laurent Fenart
film editing: Sophie Mandonnet
music: Benoît Schlosberg
production: Diba Films, Canal+, Dragons Films, Kinok Films (FR), Creations du Dragon (FR)
backing: Centre National de la Cinématographie, Région Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Centre du Cinéma et de l'Audiovisuel de la Communauté française de Belgique et les Télédistributeurs wallons

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