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Kim's Video

2023

David Redmon, Ashley Sabin

Documentary, Self: Yong-man Kim, Isabel Gillies, Robert Greene ...

6.8

257

Documentary Documentary that seeks the answer to 'What happened to the 55,000 films in a New York video store that a town in Sicily acquired in 2008?'

	Media	Author	Review
		Jordan Mintzer The Hollywood Reporter	"'Kim's Video' seems to reflect a greater story about how the cinema has been pushed to the margins of popular culture —to be fondly remembered in documentaries like this"
		Jacob Oller Paste Magazine	"If ever there was a case made that being on the right side of history, in the right place and with the right story isn’t enough to make satisfying non-fiction, 'Kim’s Video' is it."
		Wendy Ide Screendaily	"The unexpected humour and sheer ballsiness of Redmon and Sabin’s quest make for an entertaining ride"
		Brian Tallerico rogerebert.com	"[It] reaches so hard for quirky profundity that it falls on its face. It’s a real shame because there’s an interesting story buried in this frustrating film (...) Rating: ★½ (out of 4)"
		David Ehrlich IndieWire	"A frivolous but freewheeling heist doc about what happened to NYC's best video store, made by the filmmakers who brought it back."
		Carlos Aguilar Los Angeles Times	"It’s about a lot of ideas that converge around the concept of the video store and its significance, but works more as a primer than a definitive text"
		Owen Gleiberman Variety	"David Redmon and Ashley Sabin's film starts as a nostalgic meditation on the ultimate hipster video store, but it turns into an off-the-wall documentary thriller about the fate of the Kim's collection"
		Therese Lacson Collider	"I hope that someone else decides to tell the story of Kim's Video again one day, because 'Kim's Video' by Redmon and Sabin is incomplete, and a little too self-obsessed to do such an interesting story justice"
		John Fink The Film Stage	"'Kim’s Video' is endlessly entertaining, embracing the energy of the films that made Redmon"
		Alejandra Martínez Austin Chronicle	"I wish it would get out of its own way enough to follow the more interesting and unique threads it pulls at here, but it's too enamored with the movies it's trying to save to separate them from the story"
		Drew Tinnin Dread Central	"If you think you know the story of what happened to the infamous movie collection housed at Kim's Video on St. Mark Place in the East Village, think again"
		Glenn Kenny The New York Times	"Less a retail history than a shaggy dog story. One that actually appears to be true. Go in knowing that and you might get a kick out of it"
		Nick Schager The Daily Beast	"A rollicking tale of the inextricable bonds between life and art, and the value of ensuring that the latter remains preserved for future generations"
		Andrew Parker The Gate	"It never fully comes together, but the overall spirit and the complexity of the mystery behind the tape library and attempts over the years to reclaim it are quite likeable"
		Andrew F Peirce The Curb	"David Redmon immerses himself completely into the legacy of Kim's Video, breaking documentary rules by becoming one with the narrative"
		Brent Simon AV Club	"A nonfiction work of swirling whimsy and rabbit-hole intrigue that eschews mere nostalgic appreciation in favor of a cockeyed hybrid approach that amuses and bemuses in equal measure"

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