A One Mann’s Movies review of “The Kingdom” (2025, 3.5*, 15).
Original title: Le Royaume
I went into this French language film, “The Kingdom”, with no expectations but came out both impressed and a little bit depressed. It’s a very well-made film with a largely unknown cast with young Ghjuvanna Benedetti delivering a standout performance.
This is actually a film where the journey is part of the fun, trying to unravel what is going on. So my recommendation is to only read this review after you’ve seen the film, since there are inevitable spoilers to that.
One Mann’s Movies Rating:
Plot:
Lesia Savelli (Ghjuvanna Benedetti) is a teen living in a Corsican village with her aunt, uncle and their family. Against her wishes, she is taken to a remote villa by the sea to live for a while with her father Pierre-Paul (Saveriu Santucci), a man who is very cautious with his communications and who keeps a strong posse of men around him at all times.
Certification:
UK: 15; US: R. (From the BBFC web site: “Strong violence, injury detail”.)
Talent:
Starring: Ghjuvanna Benedetti, Saveriu Santucci, Anthony Morganti, Andrea Cossu, Frederic Poggi, Régis Gomez, Eric Ettori, Thomas Bronzini, Pascale Mariani, Attilius Ceccaldi.
Directed by: Julien Colonna.
Written by: Julien Colonna & Jeanne Herry.
Running Time: 1h 52m.
Summary:
Positives:
- A journey of reconciliation and revenge that’s nicely done.
- A strong script: an intelligent dripping out of facts to build the story.
- A really interesting perspective from a young adult’s viewpoint.
- A great cast of unknowns, especially Ghjuvanna Benedetti, mesmeric in the lead role.
Negatives:
- The film takes its time to get going.
Full Review of “The Kingdom”:
A drama wrapped in mystery.
This is a film where as the audience you are struggling to understand the scenario (which – alert – I am going to spoil for you now).
We first meet Lesia (Ghjuvanna Benedetti) growing up in a house in a village with children who are obviously not her siblings and we quickly learn that she is living with her aunt and uncle. After a fairly slow start, building this background, we see the aunt (I think this is Marianne played by Marie Murcia) arranging for her to join her estranged father in a remote seaside villa. Again we are not provided with the context, but the mood of the film is antagonistic and Lesia does not want to be there.
The film neatly evolves into explaining why things are the way they are and the primary drama here is the gradual thawing of the relationship between Lesia and her father Saveriu (Pierre-Paul Savelli).
Great central performances.
Giving credit to performers in this film is a bit tricky as they are such a bunch of unknowns that none of the actors have pictures on IMDB! But what I can be sure about is that the two central performances by Ghjuvanna Benedetti and Pierre-Paul Savelli are exceptionally strong.
Benedetti in particular, in her debut performance, has such a wild and feral look that she is instantly memorable and not afraid of getting her hands dirty as she guts a wild boar in the opening scene! Some casting director should snap her up for a follow-up project that is a bit more high-profile.
The circle of life.
I won’t spoil the ending of the film, but as a Corsican tale of warring factions, you know it is going to get bloody at some point. There is a sort of depressing inevitability to the recurring nature of atrocities carried out in the past to previous generations and how they continue to ripple down the generations. We’ve seen it in Northern Ireland for events that happened decades and even centuries ago. We are no doubt seeing it play out in Gaza as we speak. As such the film is a bit of a downer, however good it is.
I did like the directorial choice of Julien Colonna (who also co-wrote the film) by bookended most of the film with a black screen and the sound of cicadas. Very classy.
Summary Thoughts:
This is one worth adding to your watch-list. A ‘little’ film but a worthwhile and engaging watch. “The Kingdom” by the way refers to the private relationship between father and daughter at the heart of the film.
It seems to have had a very short and restricted cinema release, but I see that it is available to rent on some streaming services. As Netflix also contributed to the film, I’m surprised it’s not on there first. Check out the Justwatch widget below for streaming opportunities in your region.
Where to watch?
Trailer:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbXODfsp1Hk.
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