Watch it. Not to gawk at the past, but to recognize the rhetoric of the present. Because the "son of the century" has many grandchildren, and they are still shouting at the camera, demanding you choose a side.
There is a danger in watching a show about a dictator. Not the danger of propaganda, but the danger of myth. We often look back at the 20th century’s tyrants through a haze of black-and-white newsreels—stiff, slow, and unreal. We tell ourselves they were monsters, but in doing so, we distance them. We forget the magnetism. We forget the crowd. mussolini: son of the century
The show opens after WWI. Italy is the "victor defeated"—it won the war but lost its soul. Veterans are broke, socialists are striking, and the liberal state is crumbling. Enter Mussolini, fresh from editing Il Popolo d’Italia . He doesn't storm Rome with an army; he bullies, negotiates, and lies his way in. The series brilliantly captures the "biennio rosso" (the two red years) and the subsequent fascist squads—not as uniformed soldiers, but as violent, chaotic gangs who beat up socialists one day and drink with the police chief the next. Wright’s direction is the secret weapon here. This is not a dusty period piece. Mussolini speaks directly to the camera. He looks at you —the viewer in 2026—and sneers. He justifies his beatings. He mocks your morality. He calls himself the "son of the century" because he believes the 20th century belongs to violence, speed, and the death of empathy. Watch it
That is the real horror of Son of the Century . It isn't about jackboots; it is about weakness. It shows how democracy doesn't die in a bang, but in a slow, cowardly shrug. Sound familiar? Fair warning: this is not easy viewing. It is loud, aggressive, and relentless. There is no "good Italian" to save the day. The anti-fascists are there, but they are losing. You will watch 10 episodes of the bad guys winning. There is a danger in watching a show about a dictator
Streaming now on Sky Atlantic (Internationally on Max/HBO).