The Childhood Of A Leader

Brady Corbet's moody short film Protect You + Me is a good inclusion on this DVD release, showing his early interest both in formal framing and in control of emotion through sound.

In addition to the trailer, the other major inclusion here is a DVD commentary track by Corbet. Althoug he sometimes has a hesitant delivery and seems to be largely thinking on his feet here, there is plenty of interest in terms of the genesis of the project and his casting and staging choices (you can read more about what he told us concerning that, here and here).

The commentary benefits from being bang up-to-date, recorded just seven days after the US election of Donald Trump. "It's been kind of an upsetting week, at least in my household," he says, adding: "He spouts a lot of nasty rhetoric which appeals to a lot of white nationalists. The thing that's most disturbing about him is I don't think that he believes in what he's saying half of the time."

Among his technical observations are a sudden realisation that he likes to have scenes involving opening and closing doors, and his admiration for his partner Mona Fastvold, who helped to second unit direction on the film "with a baby strapped to her back". This may not be the most polished commentary you'll ever hear - and if you like those which talk directly 'to' the film then this is not for you - but Corbet offers plenty to think about.

The film has HoH subtitles but, sadly, the commentary track does not.