Kim's Video: NZIFF Review

Mix up a heist film, a doco about the benefits of physical media and a confessional pursuit, and the end result would be something akin to what Kim's Video is.

This documentary, which throws together the Mafia as well as the mania of a fan, essentially feels like a shaggy dog story that switches from adoration of its subject to personal pursuit of self-gratification above all else.

Throwing in overtly unnecessary comparisons between the narrator David Redmon and films throughout time (to simply state 'I know my film bibliography and am a cinephile') detracts from the story, which is a fascinating one as it looks at the impact Kim's Video store had.

Run by Yongman Kim, a Korean businessman who started a laundrette but found renting videos made more money, Kim's Video became a mecca for all kinds of films - and with a proprietor who happily copied videos and rented them out (much to the FBI's chagrin), it became one of the hottest businesses in town.

Forced to sell up, Kim sold the DVDs and videos to the highest bidder, with the proviso the library must stay open. Somehow it ended up in Salemi, in Sicily where it was touted with celebration and a chance to boost tourism after an earthquake. But that's not where the story ends.

Kim's Video is a great story, waiting to be told. But unfortunately, it's not well-helmed by directors David Redmon and Ashley Sabin, who become too self-involved in the story and self-aware, showing off their film knowledge by conflating every moment they felt to a film they'd seen before.

When the movie soars though - as it frequently does - it offers a dizzying thrill as shows off the commitment many feel to the life-changing elements of film. But there's also the thrill of the chase as the doco makers pursue the villains of the piece, while giving some time to Kim as well. Yet while it's enjoyable it's never quite enough to coalesce together.

Ultimately Kim's Video may seem like a cautionary tale in light of Disney's treatment of physical media, but there's a frustration of what it could have been, had the doco makers maybe stepped back from the spotlight, and focussed more on their subjects and narrative.