neumu [ cinematronic ]




	The King Is Alive
	Kristian Levring Jennifer Jason Leigh, Janet McTeer, Bruce Davison, David Calder, Brion James, Romane Bohringer, Miles Anderson, David Bradley 2001 Widescreen; closed caption.		The latest offering to emerge from the group of Danish directors who developed the Dogma 95 film-making credo features established actors such as Jennifer Jason Leigh, Janet McTeer ("Tumbleweeds") and Bruce Davison ("X-Men"), rather than the usual cast of Danes. It's a strange yarn of tourists who are lost in the middle of the African desert when their bus runs out of gas. Inspired by a passenger with a background in theater, some of the eclectic bunch decide that putting on a performance of "King Lear" will help them keep their sanity and focus as they await rescue. Others fume or scheme. Soon, madness and dysfunction bubble to the surface. The production adheres to the Dogma dictates that call for shooting in available light and forgoing post-production soundtrack additions. But unlike the vibrant Dogma film "The Celebration," this is more of an enervating exercise than a thrilling cinematic experiment. Even the obvious talents of Leigh and McTeer are lost in the barren wastes.