The King Is Alive

The King Is Alive

As the sand shifts... madness nears.

R 2000 · 110 min · ★ 5.5 · Drama

Stranded in the heat of a barren African desert, eleven bus-passengers shelter in the remnants of an abandoned town. As rescue grows more remote by the day and anxiety deepens, an idea emerges: why not stage a play. However the choice of King Lear only manages to plunge this disparate group of travelers into turmoil as they struggle to overcome both nature's wrath and their own morality.

Directed by Kristian Levring · Written by Kristian Levring

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Streaming

Philo

Cast

Make it a double feature

3h 22m together

The King Is Alive

Doxa

Both from Kristian Levring.

More from Kristian LevringSee all →

DoxaDoxa · 2005
Doxa
★ 7.02005
MovieDrama
Sanna has broken up with her boyfriend Jon. Because her father is in the hospital, she moved into her father's apartment. In his dresser drawer, she finds clipped obituaries of his colleagues, who all seem to have died prematurely. Sanna crosses one border after another, approaching a total collapse of her obsession with truth. In the end, she takes the law into her own hands.
Et skud fra hjertetEt skud fra hjertet · 1986
Et skud fra hjertet
★ 6.71986
MovieScience FictionThriller
In the future northern Europe is like a deserted and wild area. A group of soldiers has to take a dangerous political prisoner south, but their transport bus is subjected to an assault.
The SalvationThe Salvation · 2014
The Salvation
★ 6.52014
MovieDramaWestern
In 1870s America, a peaceful American settler kills his family's murderer which unleashes the fury of a notorious gang leader. His cowardly fellow townspeople then betray him, forcing him to hunt down the outlaws alone.
The Idiots Who Started The PartyThe Idiots Who Started The Party · 2020
The Idiots Who Started The Party
★ 6.02020
MovieDocumentary
Danish film has never felt stronger on the international stage than it did with the Dogme films, which at the world premiere of 'The Party' and 'The Idiots' during the Cannes Film Festival in 1998 put Denmark on the film world map. Another eight films under the strict Dogme rules followed and created great international careers for several of the talents in front of and behind the handheld camera. Thomas Vinterberg, Søren Kragh-Jacobsen, Paprika Steen, Ulrich Thomsen, Trine Dyrholm, Iben Hjejle, Anders W. Berthelsen, Lone Scherfig, Sonja Richter and many more of the country's greatest filmmakers look back on when Denmark became Dogme.
66 Scenes from America66 Scenes from America · 1982
66 Scenes from America
★ 5.91982
MovieDocumentary
As a visual narrative it is reminiscent of a pile of postcards from a journey, which indeed is what the film is. It consists of a series of lengthy shots of a tableau nature, each appearing to be a more or less random cross section of American reality, but which in total invoke a highly emblematic picture of the USA.
D-DayD-Day · 2000
D-Day
★ 5.62000
MovieTV MovieCrime
Four people plan to rob a bank on new year's eve, when no one will notice because of the celebrations.
Fear Me NotFear Me Not · 2008
Fear Me Not
★ 5.12008
MovieDramaThriller
Michael needs a change in his life, so when he hears about clinical trials for a new anti-depressant, he signs up to be a guinea pig - without telling his family. Because of dangerous side effects, the trial is subsequently abandoned but Michael continues to take the pills. Having lost all control, Michael's repressed instincts resurface with a force and violence that no-one could have predicted.
Idiotic FiltersIdiotic Filters · 2005
Idiotic Filters
2005
MovieDocumentary
Behind the scenes documentary on The Idiots

More Like This

Deconstructing HarryDeconstructing Harry · 1997
Deconstructing Harry
★ 7.21997
MovieComedyDrama
Writer Harry Block draws inspiration from people he knows, and from events that happened to him, sometimes causing these people to become alienated from him as a result.
Little VoiceLittle Voice · 1998
Little Voice
★ 6.51998
MovieComedyDrama
After the death of her father, Little Voice or LV becomes a virtual recluse, never going out and hardly ever saying a word. She just sits in her bedroom listening to her father's collection of old records of Shirley Bassey, Marilyn Monroe and various other famous female singers. But at night time, LV sings, imitating these great singers with surprising accuracy. One night she is overheard by one of her mother's boyfriends, who happens to be a talent agent. He manages to convince her that her talent is special and arranges for her to perform at the local night club, but several problems arise.
Flame & CitronFlame & Citron · 2008
Flame & Citron
★ 6.82008
MovieDramaHistory
Gunman Flame and his partner Citron assassinate Nazi collaborators for the Danish resistance. Assigned targets by their Allies-connected leader, Aksel Winther, they relish the opportunity to begin targeting the Nazis themselves. When they begin to doubt the validity of their assignments, their morally complicated task becomes even more labyrinthine.
The Wild Blue YonderThe Wild Blue Yonder · 2005
The Wild Blue Yonder
★ 6.02005
MovieScience FictionDocumentary
An alien narrates the story of his dying planet, his and his people's visitations to Earth and Earth's self-made demise, while human astronauts in space are attempting to find an alternate planet for surviving humans to live on.
Palermo ShootingPalermo Shooting · 2008
Palermo Shooting
★ 6.12008
MovieDrama
After the wild lifestyle of a famous young German photographer almost gets him killed, he goes to Palermo, Sicily to take a break. Can the beautiful city and a beautiful local woman calm him down?
The Wedding BanquetThe Wedding Banquet · 1993
The Wedding Banquet
★ 7.21993
MovieComedyDrama
A Taiwanese-American man is happily settled in New York with his American boyfriend. He plans a marriage of convenience to a Chinese woman in order to keep his parents off his back and to get the woman a green card. Chaos follows when his parents arrive in New York for the wedding.
Dear FrankieDear Frankie · 2004
Dear Frankie
★ 7.02004
MovieDramaFamily
Nine-year-old Frankie and his single mum Lizzie have been on the move ever since Frankie can remember, most recently arriving in a seaside Scottish town. Wanting to protect her deaf son from the truth that they've run away from his father, Lizzie has invented a story that he is away at sea on the HMS Accra. Every few weeks, Lizzie writes Frankie a make-believe letter from his father, telling of his adventures in exotic lands. As Frankie tracks the ship's progress around the globe, he discovers that it is due to dock in his hometown. With the real HMS Accra arriving in only a fortnight, Lizzie must choose between telling Frankie the truth or finding the perfect stranger to play Frankie's father for just one day...
The Band's VisitThe Band's Visit · 2007
The Band's Visit
★ 7.12007
MovieComedyDrama
A small Egyptian police band travels to Israel to play at the inaugural ceremony of an Arab arts center, only to find themselves stuck in the wrong town.
TheoremTheorem · 1968
Theorem
★ 7.01968
MovieMysteryDrama
A wealthy Italian household is turned upside down when a handsome stranger arrives, seduces every family member and then disappears. Each has an epiphany of sorts, but none can figure out who the seductive visitor was or why he came.
Hannah Takes the StairsHannah Takes the Stairs · 2007
Hannah Takes the Stairs
★ 5.22007
MovieComedyDrama
Hannah is a recent college graduate interning at a Chicago production company. She is crushing on two writers at work, Matt and Paul, who share an office and keep her entertained. Will a relationship with one of them disrupt the delicate balance of their friendship?
Finder's FeeFinder's Fee · 2001
Finder's Fee
★ 6.22001
MovieDramaThriller
Friends Tepper, Quigley, Fishman, and Bolan get together for a weekly poker night with two simple rules: Everyone contributes a lottery ticket to the pot, and no one checks the numbers until the game ends. But this particular, stormy night is different: Tepper plans to propose to his girlfriend, and just before the weekly game, he finds a wallet outside his apartment with a winning lottery ticket worth $6 million. Tepper calls the wallet's owner, Avery, to come collect what's his, but keeps the winning ticket for himself...only for Avery to show up and ask to play a hand.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter