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| (L to R:) Liam Cunningham, Tom Sweet, Bérénice Bejo, Robert Pattinson. |
Producer, Director and co-writer, Brady Corbet has created a film either of magnificent grandeur or a grandiose folly with his non-epic which chronicles the fictional childhood of a fascist leader commencing from the end of World War I until a later but undefined period. The setting of this period film is placed in rural France during the peace negotiations being held at Versailles. The child, Prescott (Tom Sweet), the young son of an American diplomat, increasingly develops his powers to shift the balance of power in his family and subvert the order of life through three chapters titled 'Tantrums', which is itself an understatement of events. The Father (Liam Cunningham) is too busy with the peace negotiations to pay much attention to his son, while The Mother (Bérénice Bejo) delegates much of her role to a tutor and nanny only to be out-manoeuvred by the calculating Prescott at every juncture. Eventually Prescott's dominance is such that he openly assaults his mother and declares his non belief of any religion to an astounded set of guests at a dinner party.
The film's photography and scene setting uses powerful images of surrealism and almost operatic structure partnered with a thundering music score by composer Scott Walker. Such is the evolution of totalitarian fascism.
Viewers hoping to see much of Robert Pattinson will be disappointed as he is relegated to a few support scenes and then a non dialogue image-only role as the adult Prescott. The most tangible presence and performance is delivered by Tom Sweet as the wilful, calculating and ultimately villainous child Prescott. The final scene shows masses of people being held back by uniformed troops wearing greatcoats and red bands around their caps almost Russian communist in style. Massive banners flutter from building facades while a large limousine delivers the adult Prescott to the masses wearing a uniform not unlike Stalin, Mussolini and Hitler. It is a film full of metaphors but strangely it ultimately remains unsatisfying.
The film's photography and scene setting uses powerful images of surrealism and almost operatic structure partnered with a thundering music score by composer Scott Walker. Such is the evolution of totalitarian fascism.
Viewers hoping to see much of Robert Pattinson will be disappointed as he is relegated to a few support scenes and then a non dialogue image-only role as the adult Prescott. The most tangible presence and performance is delivered by Tom Sweet as the wilful, calculating and ultimately villainous child Prescott. The final scene shows masses of people being held back by uniformed troops wearing greatcoats and red bands around their caps almost Russian communist in style. Massive banners flutter from building facades while a large limousine delivers the adult Prescott to the masses wearing a uniform not unlike Stalin, Mussolini and Hitler. It is a film full of metaphors but strangely it ultimately remains unsatisfying.
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