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Algeria, 1959; Military operations intensified. A young Lieutenant Terrien (Benoît Magimel) has been posted to Algeria to replace an officer killed in a firefight. Assigned to the remotest section of territory patrolled by his battalion, Terrien is soon introduced to the ruthless barbarity – and ironies – of this particular conflict. His enemy is a Second World War veteran whose fight to secure the independence of his birthplace pits him against the same French Army in which he once served. Shortly after arriving, Terrien witnesses the lengths to which the fellaghas (Algerian nationalist fighters) will go. Villagers are massacred in retaliation for a visit from the French. Nevertheless, he is determined to remain a controlled professional despite the atrocities that occur around him. This attitude quickly gains him the contempt of Dougnac (Albert Dupontel), a conflict-hardened sergeant, who has come to the conclusion that the kind of violence released can only be met by equally brutal measures. The blooding of the young lieutenant and the way in which he reacts to his newfound knowledge provides the dramatic arc of L’ennemi intime.