Kilometre Zero (2005/First Run Features DVD)

 

Picture: C     Sound: C+     Extras: C     Feature: B-

 

 

A cycle of would-be existential films trying to examine the current Iraq situation and the Palestinian/Israeli relationship, most of which are well intended, but never seem to work out.  Few have any answers, some at least have good moments and none have become classics.  Hiner Saleem’s Kilometre Zero (2005) is one of the more distinctive such films and not just because the director has had success before.

 

The tale this time is about two people going out of their way to bring a death body back to a family, making them cross the entire country.  The problem is whether they are trying or not, especially for a comedy, they get caught in road movie formula.  This is still ambitious work, but it is just not distinctive as it could be and when all is said and done, we feel like we’ve seen most of this before.  I did like the ironic ending.

 

The anamorphically enhanced 1.85 X 1 image is surprisingly soft for such a transfer, but the source is consistent, while the Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (in Kurdish, Arabic and French) is better.  Extras include a DVD-ROM Discussion guide, preview for the releases in the 2007 series and showcase that frame-by-frame shows other titles already issued.

 

For more on Saleem’s work, try this link for his film Vodka Lemon:

 

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/3159/Vodka+Lemon+(2003/New+Yorker

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo