The Childhood of A Leader

In a time where charismatic authoritarian leaders thrive worldwide, Brady Corbet’s debut film adapts a story by Jean-Paul Sartre to ask where such people come from. Set in France in the aftermath of World War I, the film focuses on seven-year-old Prescott (Tom Sweet) whose increasingly severe tantrums offer a counterpoint to the peace negotiations of his American father (Liam Cunningham) and the growing religious concerns of his German mother (Berenice Bejo). With exquisite cinematography by Lol Crawley and music by Scott Walker, the film reaches a haunting crescendo with many contemporary reverberations.