[Sky] A series that takes sides in the story through expressionist staging, a grandiloquent and excessive visual conception that nevertheless perfectly sets the warning tone about the repetition of history and the danger of ideologies based on populism. With Luca Marinelli building a tragicomic character that breaks the fourth wall and forces the viewer to participate, it offers a narrative that takes up the "anti-aesthetic, deforming and impressionist" cinema of the futurist movement to offer a contemporary look that counteracts a certain buffoonish tone with the more explicit representation of violence as a fundamental support for the beginnings of fascism.

M - Il figlio del secolo è un pugno nello stomaco che non concede sconti, una serie che ti sbatte in faccia la realtà su un uomo terribile in maniera brutalmente diretta e senza filtri. Non c'è spazio per la mitizzazione o per il classico distacco storico: lo spettatore viene trascinato nel fango e nella violenza degli anni che hanno segnato l'ascesa del fascismo, mostrandone tutta la ferocia e l'opportunismo. La narrazione è cruda, viscerale, quasi fastidiosa per quanto è realistica nel dipingere la scalata al potere di Benito Mussolini, interpretato in modo spaventosamente magnetico. La forza della serie sta proprio in questa sua estetica sporca e aggressiva, che non cerca di edulcorare la storia ma ti costringe a guardare negli occhi il mostro e la complicità di un'intera nazione. È un'opera disturbante e necessaria, che evita ogni retorica per lasciarti addosso un senso di angoscia profondo e la consapevolezza di quanto sia facile scivolare nell'abisso.

One of the best limited series I’ve ever watched.

Finally a good made tv series in Italy, in fact it’s directed by Joe Wright and' you see... An absolute interpretation of Luca Marinelli. The choice to follow the book with the narration is done very well, it might be a bit 'heavy but for me it’s very theatrical. Excellent clothing and music, with a perfectly performed scenography

Not too fond of the acting, but the direction here is genuinely incredible. Each episode introduces new and compelling visual ideas, paired with a modern presentation style that turned what could have been yet another boring history lesson into something vibrant and entertaining. The Duce addresses the audience directly, guiding us through his rise to power. At first, he attempts to win our empathy, only to abandon us halfway through, just as he does with every character who surrounds him. This absence of an emotional anchor sometimes makes the series feel overly reliant on exposition, with certain passages leaning too heavily into plain explanation between characters rather than visual storytelling. However, there are also many atmospheric beats and surreal shifts that create a unique, unsettling mood. The visual language, pacing, and formal experimentation elevate the material beyond standard historical drama.