Le Royaume
Thrilling and compelling crime drama set in Corsica in the 1990s. Fifteen-year-old Lesia must go on the run against her will with her father – a mafia boss – in search of a safe haven on the island.
At the start of Le Royaume, there has been peace between Corsican crime families for years, but a car bomb meant for the president puts an end to that. Murders rapidly follow one another, each met with acts of revenge. The clan of mafia boss Pierre-Paul, the father of fifteen-year-old Lesia, must flee from rival gangs. But unlike other films about the mafia, this one is set in the beautiful sun-drenched Corsican countryside, and the gang leader's intended successor is a fifteen-year-old girl.
Le Royaume is set up as a thriller. The story is told at a feverish pace and supported by a loud, thumping score. But there is more: Julien Colonna, in his stunning first feature film, strikes an ideal balance between a tension-packed thriller about organised crime, and an intimate work about the growing bond between a father and his daughter. (bw)