Watch A Certain Kind of Death For Free

Such a frustrating disappointment

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Don't listen to the negative reviews

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Potential spoilers ahead.This movie does a very good job showcasing what happens to people who die alone - either because of separation from family or because they're the last family member left having died childless and outliving everyone else in the family.With a high degree of realism this movie is not for the faint of heart. It is graphic in some parts, showing the reality of death, presenting the deceased as they actually are, with some of the deceased naked - with one such person showing obvious decomposition after having been dead a while in his apartment. It shows cremations in progress and the processing of the cremains after the cremation is done.In addition to the graphic realism it shows some of the more mundane things that happen - such as the work involved with finding next of kin and disposing of property. I liked seeing the old computer system that the people at the coroner's office used at the time - it made me nostalgic for the days when people used dumb terminals to do their work and not tablets or other devices with the latest GUIs.If you feel able to handle the graphic realism of the film I would highly recommend seeing it. It shows how some people die without friends or family to take care of them afterwards, and the work that goes along with such passings.

I really identified with this documentary because my father died in L.A. County and was cremated. Maybe I have a morbid sense of humor (or maybe I'm just a realist), but when I saw the scene with the industrial blender I was a little surprised at first, then I thought, "Oh my God, Daddy was in a blender!?" and laughed (knowing my father, he also would have thought that amusing - and you'll have to see the movie to know what I'm talking about).There's an old saying...there are two things you always do alone: you are born alone, and you die alone. This movie focuses on people who really do die alone, and the Los Angeles County Coroner's office staff who have the unfortunate job of disposing of the decedents and their respective property. There seems to be a lot of discussion on this board about the apartment that had to be cleaned out after one man died....the process, at least to me, was interesting to watch. The staff member was very thorough, had a checklist, and made sure that there was a witness (the landlord) to the entire procedure.The directors did a fine job on this documentary; it was an educational eye-opener. It showed the reality of death, and the professionalism and respect showed by the coroner's staff. I do hope the makers of this documentary will do another one soon.

Sometimes unsettling but rarely boring documentary answers an interesting, unexplored question: What happens to people who die with no next of kin? Producers followed the men and women in Los Angeles who are handed the task of trying to track down somebody -- anybody -- with relation to the deceased. Hundreds of unrelatable corpses slowly move through a process of storage, cremation and ultimately mass burial.Obviously such a topic deserves to be handled with sensitivity, and "A Certain Kind of Death" does just that. While the film never holds back -- we see our share of slowly-decaying bodies and red-hot roasting skulls -- but none if it ever comes off as exploitive. This is a mature film made by serious people. If you think the premise appeals to you, so will the film.

I love this film. The director's unblinking eye captures something extraordinary and mundane. You see the process of laying to rest the John and Jane Does of Los Angeles. Some parts are extremely graphic, showing the bodies of deceased people (vagrants really) as well as the practical and unsettlingly methodical protocol used to handle and interr the remains. Part of me sees this film as a sweet elegy about death and impermanence. The other part of me sees a film about fascism and genocide because all of the living characters are lower-middle class bureaucrats who exist in a bureaucratic fog. Whether they shuffle papers or crush incinerated bone fragments, there is an alarming detachment masked behind a thin layer of civic obligation. This is not like the docs on CourtTV; this is a thoughtful, well-shot production.