Synopsis
On the edge of a crumbling city, 11-year-old Alexander lives in a sequestered commune alongside other children, their mothers, and charismatic leader, Gregori. Gregori teaches the children how to raise livestock, grow vegetables, work as a community - and how to kill. With the birth of a new baby brother weighing on his mind, Alexander begins to question Gregori’s overpowering influence on the children and their training to become assassins. Threatened by his increasing unwillingness to fall in line, Gregori’s behavior turns erratic and adversarial toward the child he once considered a son. With the two set dangerously at odds and the commune’s way of life disintegrating, the residents fear a violent resolution is at hand.
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Cast
- Vincent CasselGregori
- Nigel BarberKaraoke Detective
- Jeremy ChabrielAlexander
- Florence MezzaraSusanna
- Sosina WogayehuPenelope
- Timothy StylesGary
- Katalin HegedusMagdalena
- Daniel VernikovskiAndre
- Zsofia StavropoulosBella
- Kai CasterAlexander (uncredited)
Recommendations
- 75
The Playlist
It is slow and it is ambiguous but it is supremely sure of itself, as it moves, with singleminded grace from chilly to all-out chilling. - 70
Variety
Casting Cassel as a ruthless villain might seem like a cliche, but Kleiman uses him counterintuitively, locating an avuncular, calming quality in the actor. - 63
Slant Magazine
Ariel Kleiman fashions an erotic atmosphere of dusty sensuality that complicates our judgement of this world, but he takes shortcuts. - 60
The Guardian
You’re never sure what the characters are capable of achieving and the bottled-up energy that comes out of that feeling runs throughout. - 60
Village Voice
Cassel is never less than transfixing as a savior with a semi-sinister smile, but Partisan's lack of interest in providing necessary context — especially about the ill-defined larger society that Gregori rejects — leaves it operating on a hazy psychological level. - 58
The A.V. Club
That sense of mystery definitely keeps Partisan intriguing, though it also creates expectations that Kleiman, who co-wrote the screenplay with Sarah Cyngler, isn’t especially interested in fulfilling. - 50
The Hollywood Reporter
While the systematic corruption of innocents under an outwardly benevolent protector makes for a disturbing scenario, Australian newcomer Ariel Kleiman dulls the unease with his studiedly enigmatic approach. - 50
RogerEbert.com
Partisan, Cassel’s latest movie that smartly keeps his innate menace on a slow, low simmer, isn’t nearly as convincing or compelling as its star.
