06-08-2025
A mafia drama like no other
The Kingdom is a mafia drama like no other. It's directed by Julien Colonna whose father was a Corsican mob boss who died in 2006 (officially in a car crash although it's generally believed he was 'whacked'). And it's told through the eyes of a young girl. Think of it as The Godfather from the point of view of a teenage Connie Corleone. Or The Sopranos from the perspective of Meadow. Or just take it for what it is, which is tense, brilliant and rivetingly convincing.
The film is set in Corsica in 1995 at a time when the island was experiencing deadly mob feuds as well as intense conflicts between nationalist groups. Colonna has deployed locals rather than professional actors which adds to that believability. The cast is led by Ghjuvanna Benedetti who is stunning in every possible way. She plays 15-year-old Lesia – roughly the age Colonna would have been in 1995 – and she's our point of view.
She lives with her aunt in a village where school is out for the summer. (I'm a sucker for what I call 'the one long hot summer' film.) She flirts with a handsome boy. She heads to the beach with her friends. After a hunt she field-dresses a strung-up boar. Blood splatters her face. It's expected. It's the Corsican way. Violence is customary, always in the air.
Her summer changes when she is whisked away to stay with her father Pierre-Paul (Saveriu Santucci). He's a crime boss, holed up in a villa, on the run from the police as well as rival gangsters. Their tit-for-tat killings appear to have been going on for ever. He adores her but he does not know her. Lesia isn't a talker. She is quietly watchful and sullen but he promises her a week of fishing and swimming.
It's all change again, however, when Pierre-Paul and assembled 'uncles' gather round the television and watch a report on a car bomb that may well have been intended for him. From now on it's all safe houses, disguises, overheard conversations, glimpses of Pierre-Paul sending his lieutenants out in bullet-proof vests with guns. He tries to return her to the village but she smuggles herself back. At some level she comprehends that she has a limited time in which to bond. They're on the run together and she must now face the dangerous realities of his world and 'the kingdom' that he has created and that she will inherit. Or will she? Will she be able to break the cycle of retribution? (Colonna's father's father was also murdered by the mafia. Not a 'car crash'. Shot dead.)
The film is understated, naturalistic, sultry, intimate, with a pervasive undercurrent of dread while Lesia and her father's relationship grows deeper. Pierre-Paul treats his daughter tenderly and with affection yet she knows, as do we, that he is capable of truly brutal acts elsewhere. How do you love a man like that? It certainly doesn't make being a mobster look like any fun, even though the fabulous cinematography makes Corsica looks stunning. You want to tell them: 'Pack it in and go for a nice swim, fellas!'
It's not, I should have said, an especially bloodthirsty film. Most of the 'whackings' take place off camera, although it does ramp up at the end. The performances are terrific – as is the chemistry between the two leads. And I doubt you'll be able to take your eyes off Benedetti for a single second.
It's Colonna's first major film and I hope there are many more. He may get to live a long life.
