The Kingdom
The Kingdom
Lesia, a teenager, is taken by a man to a villa where her fugitive father and his men are hiding. A war erupts, leading to death and a chase where father and daughter bond.
Kevin Ward reviewedJune 30, 2025
The Kingdom is a really tense, affecting thriller told almost entirely through the eyes of teenage Lesia (Ghjuvanna Benedetti), brought to a remote villa where her fugitive father and his loyal crew are in hiding. As opposing forces close in, Lesia watches people she’s known all her life fall one by one. She’s kept out of the action, but not untouched by its consequences.
Benedetti is excellent and shares a compelling rapport with Saveriu Santucci as her father, Pierre-Paul. Their bond becomes the film’s emotional anchor, especially as Lesia begins to wonder what it’s all really for. The film's most haunting scene is towards the end when Lesia asks her father why they can't just run away together. A portrait of generational violence and the burden of choosing whether or not to carry it forward.