At the end of the First World War, a US family settled in a French village where Father (Liam Cunningham) took part in the peace negotiations for the conclusion of the Versailles Treaty. His wife (Berenyes Bego) is an devoted Christian, who has difficulty coping with the character of their naughty son, whose outbursts give birth to a monster. Partly based on the early years of the great dictators of the twentieth century, "The Childhood of a Leader" is a grim portrait of the rising evil. The film is inspired by Jean-Paul Sartre's eponymous narrative and the novel "The Magus" by John Fauls. Until a few months ago, I had not even heard of Brady Corbet's directorial debut, whom we have seen as actor in "13", "Funny Games" and "Melancholy".
Corbett's film has been one of the strongest debuts in recent years, with the only one who may have been Robert Eggers with his "The Witch" who is really something brilliant. The both movies resemble a dark styling and a chilling atmosphere that creates a backdrop for the monster lifting (depending on your moral views, feel free to use another epithet). "Radiance" and "Omen" are obvious inspiration, with Kubrick's influence in the composition of long-standing footage and the atmosphere, while Donner feels the image of the devil's child and the relationship with his parents. To help shape the script, Corbett points out: "Day of Wrath", "Muschet", "Under the Sun of Satan" and "Barry Lyndon". The rooms are authentic with the help of the detailed interior and the shooting of well-chosen locations - in particular Buda Castle in Budapest. The structure of the film uses as a pivotal point three angry outbursts of the child, whose name we later understand is Prescott. I had a problem with the sluggish exposition at the beginning. Corbett uses too much time to reveal modest amounts of information about the heroes, but if you have the patience, you gradually become acquainted with them - the father, the mother, the writer who visits them (Robert Pattinson), the French priest and teacher (Stacy Martin). On the other hand, a great atmosphere and a strong sense of place are a source of cinnamon hunger. Lol Crowley's "45 Years" isreally great. When his camera does not paint paintings similar to those of Verme, it threatens the characters from one room to another. Some cadres make up for the need for any dialogue. The music is the work of legendary Scott Walker, known for his pop-ballads of the 60's. Over the last decade, Walker has gradually moved to the avant-garde, with his new compositions having little to do with those of his early career.
"The Childhood of a Leader" starts with scraping strings that gradually break down and give the cacophony a place of sounds that reflect the psychic deviations of the teenage dictator.At the very beginning, Prescott throws stones at church pilgrims. Why it does is a question that does not get a direct answer. In fact, this is the question that stands (or should be) in the heart of the movie. What are the factors that create the greatest monsters of the twentieth century? Corbett does not give a definite explanation. Prescott is not a native villain, because in many of the scenes we see him showing sympathy and affection. He also has friends. The nurse, who (unlike his parents) does not make him eat the nasty dinner, and the French teacher. In one of her lessons, her breast glows through the dress and for the first time captures the impressive consciousness of the child. On the other hand, behavior is not the result of some nightmare conditions. His family does not differ much from the others. Responses can be sought in the authoritarian imposition of will on the part of his parents - by his father's power and by his mother's religious ritual, as well as by the development of a child's oedipus complex, but Corbett is not exactly interested in these issues. As Pattinson's hero says, while playing a billiard game with his father discusses a recent article in the newspaper: "The tragedy is not that Pilate transmits himself, but that the hundreds in the crowd do it. This is the tragedy of the war. Not that one person has the courage to be evil, but they have not the courage to be good. " In this way, we can look at Prescott as a psychological portrait of a confused Europe that does not know who it is and why it is. In some circumstances, the rebellion and the need for violence become a natural expression of oppressed feelings and there is no force to resist.
Much more interesting is the influence that the secret meetings his father is presenting form Prescott's ideas of management. From an early age, the child sees the fate of Europe being solved by people who have escaped from the light so they can talk freely and make plans in the dark. Maps, drawings, signatures and cigars - these are the elements that will appear and finally when the boy submits all the institutions under his authority. The last scene offers some surprises. Besides being filmed and unfolding even further the scale of the film, Corbett's look at us alters the totality of what we see and forces us to watch again. The conclusion is the conclusion of the first frame in which we see Prescott dressed as an angel in a biblical play about the vision of the shepherds before Christ was born. He is the messenger of the new, the prophet whom everyone expects. If you like Hanneke and Trier, with whom Corbett has worked in the past, you must watch "The Childhood of a Leader". If you are interested in a psychological portrait of a teenage demon - watch. The film is not a historical, but a poetic and grim story about the time when the world emerges from a war by forging its new monsters.
