Kingdom of Us
How does a traumatic event shape a family? How do you sift through the memories to find hidden clues and unlock a collective grief? Kingdom of Us takes a look at a mother and her seven children, whose father's suicide left them in financial ruin. Through home movies and raw moments, the Shanks family travels the rocky road towards hope.
-
- Cast:
Similar titles
Reviews
Very well executed
Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.
Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.
Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.
This production takes you on a very private & intimate journey with a family facing a multitude of demons & hardships. There is so much love within this family and that shines through even throughout their darkest days. What a bunch of courageous people they sure are to share their story with us.
I also know this family locally and they are epic. A constant support to and within the local community. They have brought their experiences out into the public domain in order to help other families understand autism and mental health issues. It takes strength of character to do this and I applaud you and your amazing family, Vikie.
A touching tribute to a family who have worked together to overcome many difficult times. Vikie and her family are a wonderful loving family who give their time to support those going through difficult times in their lives. The family have not had an easy journey through life, but they pull together and give us hope that we can too.
This is a family still coming to terms with the effects of tragedy and in the process, learning how to rebuild their shattered unit. There are surprising pieces of wisdom from these teenagers, (particularly the boy and the youngest girl), and great acts of love and courage from all. You'll come to know these people with great affection, like I did.The documentary picks up some years after the event itself, and is more interested in slowly unraveling the effects of a close death, than hitting us over the head with the details of the suicide, as you might expect in a film, or in lesser hands. This is a filmmaker that respects the subjects she is filming, as there is nothing more painful than the sudden loss of a loved one and that pain is evident here in great volumes. It's sometimes hard to watch.It's simply heartbreaking and you can't help but wish you could do something for them but of course, we are merely observers, yet never feeling that we are on the outside. We are involved. We care. While it's very personal, it never feels evasive, thanks to Lucy Cohen, the director, who clearly has spent a lot of time with the family and gained their trust. She's often happy to sit back and let her camera observe (she was also the videographer), occasionally prompting them with a question. Subtlety is the key here, and respect. There's great skill here too in the editing. What a mammoth task to put together several years of filming. You can feel the narrative being crafted, yet its never contrived. Never too obvious. A lovely piece of work from a great talent. I wish the family all the best for the future.