Kim’s Video

“Kim’s Video” 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. From the ‘80s to when it closed in the ‘00s, Kim’s Video was a vital force for the love of independent cinema. It curated a culture that valued art above everything else, including whether or not some of the VHS tapes they were renting were 100% legal. Personally, my working at video stores in the ‘80s and ‘90s cultivated my love for the form, and I regret the fact that my kids can’t walk the aisles of a place like Kim’s Video, stumbling onto something that might change their life. And it’s fascinating how many former employees of Kim’s are artists now, including the great Robert Greene (“Procession”), Sean Price Williams (“The Sweet East”), and Alex Ross Perry (“Listen Up Philip”), all interviewed in this doc. Where will young directors get the kind of on-job education they did in video stores?