The Childhood of a Leader

Play trailer

2:04

The Childhood of a Leader

2016

1h 55m

Mystery & Thriller

History

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

90%

Tomatometer

67 Reviews

54%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

The childhood of a post-World War I leader.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

The Childhood of a Leader mirrors the rise of fascism in post-WWI Europe with a well-acted, confidently crafted look at one young man's unsettling coming of age.

Read Critics Reviews

Alexandra Heller-Nicholas

The Blue Lenses

08/25/2018

While a more allegorical approach may have provided a shallower sense of satisfaction, it is the deliberate ambiguities of Childhood of a Leader that house its lasting, more enduring and inescapably disturbing impact.

Go to Full Review

David Stratton

The Australian

03/17/2017

2.5/5

The problem with the film is that it promises more than it delivers.

Go to Full Review

Kate Muir

The Times (UK)

10/10/2016

4/5

The Childhood of a Leader signals a fascinating new talent in art cinema: the actor Brady Corbet.

Go to Full Review

Q.V. Hough

Vague Visages

02/20/2022

The Childhood of a Leader may not behold a traditional narrative, yet Corbet's auterist style creates a memorable visceral effect.

Go to Full Review

Tony Black

Cultural Conversation

01/31/2021

3/5

One almost senses after watching Brady Corbet's film that to ignore its warnings could be to our peril.

Go to Full Review

Dustin Chang

ScreenAnarchy

07/17/2020

The Childhood of a Leader owes big to its young star Tom Sweet. As a wide eyed, bratty kid, his brave performance alone will cause a string of nature vs nurture debates...

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Nicola B

Dec 2

Absolutely extraordinary. Subtlety that plays on the imagination.

See more

Tina B

Feb 1

I wonder at what point during the filming, did any of the crew think, " this is absolute pretensious nonsense" The kis walks around the house, learning French sometimes. They talk French and English in the dark, then it ends. Terrible. Good grief

See more

Dani G

03/24/2024

Classic example of a movie with good production design and good production values in general, but a very little engaging story.

See more

Gareth v

06/22/2023

The story of how an entitled boy turns into a facist. Despite having a number of flat spots the story is compelling enough.

See more

01/29/2022

This kid's childhood sucks - but the movie sucks even worse. I get it, its a deep dive drama into the psyche of a fascist leader. Also doubles as a sleeping pill.

See more

12/19/2021

Irritating bad bullshit !!! unwatchable !!!

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Brady Corbet

Director

Robert Pattinson

Charles Marker

Liam Cunningham

The Father

Stacy Martin

Ada

Bérénice Bejo

The Mother

Sophie Lane Curtis

Actor

Six Minutes to Midnight

36%

46%

Six Minutes to Midnight

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Six Minutes to Midnight

The Last Witness

29%

55%

The Last Witness

Watchlist

Black '47

78%

78%

Black '47

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Black '47

Bridge of Spies

91%

87%

Bridge of Spies

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Bridge of Spies

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

The Childhood of a Leader: Trailer 1

2:04

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

The childhood of a post-World War I leader.

Director: Brady Corbet
Producer: Chris Coen, Brady Corbet, Helena Danielsson, Antoine de Clermont-Tonnerre
Screenwriter: Brady Corbet
Distributor: IFC Films
Production Co: Filmteam, Hepp Film, Bow and Arrow Entertainment
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, History, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 22, 2016, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 22, 2016
Runtime: 1h 55m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

Most Popular at Home Now