A GOOD LITTLE SOLDIER

(Un bon petit soldat)

West Coast Premiere | France | 2026 | Drama | 102 min | In French with English subtitles

Directed by: Stéphane Brizé
Written by: Stéphane Brizé, Olivier Gorce, Coralie Amédéo
Produced by: Sidonie Dumas (Gaumont Production), France 3 Cinéma
Cinematography: Antoine Héberlé
Original Score: Bertrand Blessing
Film Editing: Géraldine Mangenot
Cast: Alba Rohrwacher (Carla Moretti), Vincent Lindon (Arnaud), Sharif Andoura (Etienne), David Talbot (Olivier), Adrien Bobinet (Louis), Philippe Pollet-Villard (Julien), Yasmine Malek (Carla’s friend in New York), Renaud Petitjean (Erwan)
International Sales: Gaumont

Synopsis

Stéphane Brizé‘s latest critique of cutthroat capitalist culture walked off with the Best Screenplay award at this year’s Venice Film Festival. It follows Carla, the new HR director of a mega insurance company, and her moral dilemma: staunchly safeguarding a humane workplace vs. corporate interests and branding. Juggling conflicting directives and desperate to do the right thing, Carla is pressured to make painful concessions and even begins to mimic some of the toxic behavior around her. Yet it’s Alba Rohrwacher’s exquisite performance, as the quietly beleaguered Carla, that truly brings home the film’s chilling message and emotional heft.

Director’s bio

Writer/director Stéphane Brizé began his career as an audiovisual technician, before studying acting and directing theater. His first short films, Bleu dommage (1993) and L’œil qui traîne (1996) garnered numerous festival prizes. His first feature, Le Bleu des villes (1999) was honored with the Prix Michel d’Ornano at the Deauville American Film Festival. Not Here to be Loved (COLCOA 2006) was named Best Film in San Sebastián and nominated for three César Awards. A Woman’s Life (COLCOA 2017) won the Louis Delluc Prize for Best Film and the FIPRESCI Prize in Venice, as well as 2 prizes at COLCOA, including the Critics Award. Brizé has developed a close and very fruitful collaborative relationship with actor Vincent Lindon, who has now starred in six of his features, including Mademoiselle Chambon (COLCOA 2010), which won a César Award for Best Adapted Screenplay; A Few Hours of Spring (COLCOA 2013); The Measure of a Man (2015), for which Lindon nabbed Best Actor Awards in both Cannes and the Césars; At War (2018); and Another World (COLCOA 2021). Brizé has also previously worked with actor Alba Rohrwacher on Out of Season (2023). A Good Little Soldier premiered at this year’s Venice Film Festival, where it was honored with the Best Screenplay award.