In this complex documentary from one of the most iconic voices of the German New Wave, Werner Herzog follows the child soldiers of Nicaragua during the Miskito resistance against the Sandinistas. True to Herzog form, this film ultimately illustrates the futility and senselessness of such violence.. Drawing connections to co-Director Denis Reichle's experiences serving as a child soldier towards the end of WWII, BALLAD OF THE LITTLE SOLDIER, rather than making a specific political stance on either side of the resistance in Nicaragua, illustrates the unspeakable horror the use of children in combat presents in conflicts all around the world and throughout history.. "BALLAD OF THE LITTLE SOLDIER is not a rabble-rousing film. It's both a lament about the idiotic state or the world and a song in praise of the human spirit...in [this] short, splendid film, Mr. Herzog is scaling the peaks of his own, very personal cinema." - Vincent Canby, The New York Times