Several movies at Venice's
72nd Film Festival are highlighting the harsh reality of life
for children hit by war and violence, a subject that photos of a
drowned Syrian boy have brought to the world's attention this
week.
American director Cary Fukunaga's film Beasts of No Nation,
due to premier on Thursday, tells the story of a young African
boy called Agu who is forced to become a soldier and take part
in ruthless tribal warfare.
Agu, played by Abraham Atta, is captured by rebels and
saved from certain death by a charismatic tribal general played
by Idris Elba, who is receiving wide praise for his performance.
Audiences may be inclined to draw parallels between Agu's
experience and those of children affected by the actions of the
militant ISIS jihadists.
Many are being trained as child soldiers or forced to flee,
risking the same fate as 3-year-old Aylan Kurdi, who drowned
this week as he attempted to escape ISIS violence.
Though Fukunaga dismissed current events as a primary
inspiration for the work, he said there were comparisons to be
made.
"The ISIS phenomenon had just started when I started making
the film, but certainly there are analogies because we're
dealing with infrastructures that work on human psychology,"
Fukunaga said.
Beasts of No Nation will be released through Netflix's
streaming platform on October 16.
Separately, Brady Corbet's Childhood of a Leader, due to be
shown at the festival on Sept. 5 and 6, takes a look at how
events witnessed in childhood can influence adult actions.
It follows an American boy living in France in 1918, whose
father works for the American government and helps create the
Treaty of Versailles which imposed harsh conditions on Germany
after World War One.
Loosely based on the childhoods of several 20th century
dictators, the film charts the development of a terrifying ego
based on a child's experience which is formed by and eventually
contributes to the rise of fascism.
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