Synopsis
"
Brady Corbet [...] delivers one of the most audacious directorial debuts of the year [...] with this allegory of totalitarianism in the wake of
World War I. Loosely inspired by the writings of
Jean-Paul Sartre and
Margaret MacMillan,
The Childhood of a Leader is a nightmarish coming-of-age tale charting the early stirrings of despotism in a French choirboy (chillingly assured newcomer
Tom Sweet), whose father is a high-ranking diplomat assisting President Woodrow Wilson in the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Corbet’s ambitious reflection on the dark forces of history features a special appearance by
Robert Pattinson and a thunderous orchestral score by avant-garde icon
Scott Walker." – BAM