king coal (2023)

 

Documentary/essay hybrid is a film you really should see on a big screen. This look at life in a small town in West Virginia is one of the most beautiful films of the last decade. It’s so picture perfect that you may ponder if this is a documentary or a narrative since it’s clear that great effort was put into setting up several sequences. Not that you will mind.

he film is a meditation on life in the small town, it’s a mix of discission and slice of life sequences. It’s a glorious film that transcends being something that one can critique and instead feels as though we are witnessing or living life in the town. Twenty minutes into the film I kind of threw up my hands and realized that there is not a damn thing I can say about this film. There is no good or bad in the way you look at a piece of art but only good or bad as in “how was your trip to this place?”

A stunning film, it is a genuine piece of cinematic art at the highest level. You will either love this or not based on how deeply you fall into the film.

Recommended-more so if you can see this on a BIG screen.