Héros désarmés

Eric and Vincent give an account of their experience in the United-Nations peace-keeping forces in Bosnia. In counterpoint, come amateur film images shot in the field and extracts from Vincent’s diary. “Thousands of French soldiers volunteered to leave for ex-Yugoslavia under the UN flag. For many of them, signing up was a way of giving a meaning to their life and escaping from a society which they felt gave them no recognition. They left with flowers on their guns, full of desires and aspirations to spend six months in the thick of the Yugoslavian conflict. They returned as broken men, many of them sick. Today they feel even more marginalised than before. In the film, two former soldiers are given the chance to express themselves.” (Sylvie Ballyot, Béatrice Kordon)