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Without the King
First Run Features


10.0

based on 7 reviews
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Internet Movie Database

MPAA RATING: Not Rated

Starring King Mswati III

Winner of the Special Jury Prize at the Hot Docs International Documentary Festival, this acclaimed film tells an astonishing story of Africa’s last absolute monarchy, the Kingdom of Swaziland. King Mswati III, a distant figure out of touch with his home and country, rules by decree and lives a life of luxury together with his 12 wives, while his subjects suffer from crushing poverty and the world’s highest HIV infection rate. With unprecedented access, we meet headstrong first wife Queen LaMbikiza, eldest child and teen rapper, Princess Sikhanyiso, King Mswati himself, as well as many Swazi citizens who are plotting his downfall. Filmmaker Michael Skolnik captures the birth of a nation's revolution, and the dawning awareness of a young Swazi princess as she realizes the contrast between her impoverished country and her lavish lifestyle. (First Run Features)

GENRE(S):	Documentary
DIRECTED BY:	Michael Skolnik
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: July 22, 2008 Theatrical: April 25, 2008
RUNNING TIME:	83 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

The New York Times Jeannette Catsoulis

The film, fluidly shot by James Adolphus, remains deeply sensitive to the complexities of a culture whose attachment to monarchy contravenes its best interests. This dilemma is gradually becoming clear to Princess Sikhanyiso, the oldest of the king's 22 children and a student in California. Intelligent, articulate, caring and strong-willed, she could be her country's best hope.

New York Post V.A. Musetto

By far the film's most interesting subject is the king's eldest daughter, 18-year-old Princess Sikhanyiso, who likes to be known as Pashu. She's a self-styled rapper who goes to a Catholic college in California and acts like the spoiled rich kid that she is.

TV Guide Ken Fox

Intelligent but incomplete-feeling documentary.

Village Voice Vadim Rizov

A cut above the average Quad-bound video agit-prop doc, Michael Skolnik's Without the King succeeds mostly through negative virtues.

Variety Ronnie Scheib

With Swaziland providing this mother lode of material, helmer Michael Skolnik extracts only the most pedestrian of films.

LA Weekly Ernest Hardy

A curious mixture of banality and revelation.

Film Threat Phil Hall

It is a shame the film doesn't cast a wider net into deeper political waters – the outrage is barely scratched in this production.

The average user rating for this movie is 10.0 (out of 10) based on 1 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

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Without the King First Run Features

Without the King
First Run Features