Some may recognize Brady Corbet for his roles in Mysterious Skin, Funny Games, Martha Marcy May Marlene, and other...let's just call them "interesting" indie films, but he's establishing a pretty good reputation as a screenwriter, as well. And it turns out the films he's written, such as The Sleepwalker and Simon Killer, show that his eccentric tastes go far beyond acting. And it turns out the same thing applies to his directorial debut, The Childhood of a Leader, which has premiered its first trailer.
Corbet has gathered a stellar cast that includes Robert Pattinson, Bérénice Bejo, Stacy Martin, Liam Cunningham, Yolande Moreau and Tom Sweet, but the hook has always been the intriguing premise. The film is based partially on the upbringing of some of the 20th century's greatest dictators, and centers on a child whose violent tendencies are just a hint of who he will become in the future. Here's the official synopsis:
An American family settles into the French countryside at the end of the First World War, where the father is involved in the peace negotiations around the Treaty of Versailles. His wife is a devout Christian who struggles with the tantrums of their defiant son, whose willful outbursts begin to demonstrate a monster in the making. Loosely inspired by the early childhood experiences of many of the great dictators of the 20th Century, The Childhood of a Leader is an ominous portrait of emerging evil.
The Childhood of a Leader hits U.K. this summer but does not currently have a U.S. date. Check out the trailer below plus a couple of posters.
