AllMovie

Set during the Algerian war for independence in the 1950s and early '60s, this undistinguished drama centers on Jean (Maurice Garrel) who works covertly for the FLN, the Algerian independence fighters, and although he does not know it, the woman he loves (Mouche, played by Emmanuelle Riva), is also a covert operative for the FLN. When Jean sees the SAO (the Algerian Secret Army Organization) assassinate Mouche, his world disintegrates. Eventually, after the armed conflict has ended, he meets a French Algerian named Gemina and begins a new relationship with her -- and optimistically expects it to last because peace is at hand. Although director Philippe Garrel seems to have intended certain parallels between Jean's personal life and Algerian-French politics, they are weakened by the vague script, and a stiffness or artificiality in the main characters.