Film Review: Robert Pattinson’s Childhood Of A Leader Is Eerie & Fascinating
Have you ever wondered the childhood of Hitler? Mussolini? How about Pinochet or Trujillo and maybe Stalin? All these men are known faces of evil. When you say dictator, their names immediately pop into your mind. As humanity enters a new wave of violence and darkness, the curiosity, over how a child could grow into a deadly man, is horrific and unavoidable. Is evil born or made? Brady Corbet’s Childhood Of A Leader goes straight for this hard question.
Taken place in 1918, A young boy named Prescott interacts with his parents, maids, and teacher as his father helps form the Paris Treaty of Versailles. The boy has every material necessity and want at his disposal, but there is an anger in him. From the film’s beginning, you can tell Prescott is a peculiar boy. He is incredibly intelligent, uneasy about emotionally connecting, and has an inner mischief that can go from playful to vicious in a second. Tom Sweet as Prescott is absolutely riveting. For such a young boy, 9, he feels like an acting giant. He can be subtle and quiet adding to the audience’s eagerness to know, “What is brewing in that mind of yours?”. Yet, when he goes into tantrum it is both terrifying and curious. You wonder what led to his outburst. Could it be he is in a foreign country, and does not know the language to make good friends? Could it be his cold, disappearing father (played by Liam Cunningham) or the growing visibility of his mother’s sadness at her life’s decisions? The film’s rising tide of questions, over why Prescott becomes a face of evil, will keep you consistently intrigued.
Bérénice Bejo is wonderful as the mother of Prescott. She is so overwrought with mixed emotions. On one hand, she feels burdened by a family that she never wanted, and wonders what could have been for her if she had chosen differently. Yet, deep down, she knows that for a woman with her ambitious nature, 1918 is not a more welcoming era for women’s equality. Still, despite her personal disappointments, she loves her child or, at least, wants to. Her eagerness to connect to this particularly brilliant boy is heart-wrenching because many parents can relate to the yearning to understand what is going on with their child. Why is he acting out? What am I not seeing? Prescott does show moments of love and care for his mother and especially his housemaid Mona, but his inability to control himself when things do not go like he wants is worrisome. I can sit here and proclaim some errors I found in his parent’s approach, but who am I? Parents are human beings that do not always have the answers or the best response. Even though you know for certain that Prescott will become a dictator, you are left wondering why? Nothing that happened or that others’ did felt enough for his darkness. So, was he born to be evil?
These are question that are rough to ask, and nearly impossible to answer, especially when you do not want to. I am an optimist that believes everyone has goodness in them, and that, with a little love, a lot can be overcome. Yet, that belief can be constantly challenged and even rebuked. This film definitely made me wonder, and will leave audiences thinking for days. Director Brady Corbet has made a stunning, insightful look into the festering wickedness of a soul that can begin from young. Again, it is a harsh question to face, but with a fabulous cast, which includes a brief, but strong performance from Robert Pattinson, you become more open to facing the confusion of evil’s existence. In addition, I must give all applause to Scott Walker’s soundtrack. Everyone will have their mind and blood pressure race at hearing his illustrious music course through the film like a pulsating vein. Overall, I would highly recommend this film that premieres July 22 and is playing at IFC theaters. It will be fascinating for those curious to know the psychology of a dictator.
A Childhood of A Leader will be released in theaters on July 22. Go SEE it! It will make you think!
