Adam0001
A original and quite disturbing look at human psychology in a terrene rather different from what we are used to. It is rare that one can go ahead and call a film genius but in this instance it is not difficult. I have never seen a film which in such a simple manor built very strong character development, but this is what leads me to the location. Simple, visually stunning and to think about there seclusion from reality leaves you with only them. Which is why they are developed so well. They are raw and real to life each going through there own trials and tribulations.The basis story is while a bus is driving through the desert with tourists, it takes a very inconvenient wrong turn. they end up deep in the desert. Watching them fall deep into hell if fascinating. The conclusion to this film is extremely powerful and without any doubt will stay memorable for a long time. Seeing how powerful the desert is against us is excellent and seeing King Lear being recited within is quite unbelievable. In conclusion the deserts power and symbolism which was taken for granted is more powerful than our education and lifestyles.Kristian Levring directed this project fantastically and even though Dogme95' ended around 6 years ago I would like to see him take more stylistic choices.
dbborroughs
One of the Dogme 95, this is the story of a bus load of people who end up lost in the African desert thanks to a non-functioning compass. Stranded at a deserted mining camp the group decides to put on a production of King Lear to pass the time. Tempers and passions flair as emotions become raw and exposed in the burning sun.As with all Dogme films this is low tech and in your face. The people and the emotion are the story. These are films that allow actors to show you how good they are. These are also films that can irritate the hell out of you because very often they come across as extremely contrived. This film is an example of both being a really good actors showcase and being contrived.The problem for me with this film is that at the outset I didn't care about anyone. I found the group to be a bunch of high maintenance people who are now in a situation where they can whine some more. The feeling lessened as time went on and things begin to happen, but it took awhile. I think part of the problem was that I disliked the set up, which seemed far too artificial, though certainly it's plausible.I also wasn't that keen on how some of the film was shot. Like all Dogme 95 films its shot using only hand held cameras so the film has an odd feel at times. It mimics, as some people have pointed out, the look one would get if one had shot the film using a camcorder, which lends a sense of being an actual record, but at the same time it seems careless and jarring, and less than natural, despite the fact it strives to be.I liked this film. I didn't love it. I think I would have liked it more if I had come in a few minutes late and could have thought that I missed something. It's a rather bleak film with some people I didn't care for. It's a hard film to warm up to for that reason. If you're interested in an off beat dark drama I'd give this a try, though I would suggest you weigh your decision against how you feel about any previous Dogme films you've seen.6 out of 10 (your mileage may vary)
cshammer
I really like this film. I'd come sense that many people dislike the phenomenon Dogme, especially this one. When I first heard about the plot and the story I thought it sounded too trivial, but I must say, this film is so much more than the frame. The ability to make people this cruel, and making us believe it, is fantastic, it's like watching Dogville or different Second War films. That's why Dogme is so fantastic. It's the acting which is in focus, not special effects and speed. Dogme gives the actors more freedom to develop their characters (like they do in theater). This tragic story, makes us questioning the humanity of the general human mind, and makes our ideals crack - just like the story of King Lear. I love this film.
nycritic
When a bus load of tourists from all walks of life runs out of gas in the middle of an apparently endless desert the set slowly gets staged not for a tale about survival via leaving the bus and searching for help, but of staging an improv version of "King Lear" that somehow manages to insinuate itself into the characters. While events predictably turn tragic for many if not all and the situation devolves into near-complete hopelessness (made the more intense by the use of digital video which creates a hell out of sunlight and sand), there is a sense of elements left untold and aspects left unexplored in THE KING IS ALIVE, leaving a bare-essentials character study which eventually semi-collapses in on itself.An interesting experiment of a film with great improvised performances by Jennifer Jason Leigh, Janet McTeer, Bruce Davidson, and Romaine Bohringer, and one that perhaps with subsequent viewings could evolve within itself like many "experimental" films tend to do, but that at this moment remains a little too outré for the usual film-goer.
AD
