Without The King

Michael Skolnik's terribly earnest Without The King explores the problems surrounding the rule of Swaziland's King Mswati III. Swaziland reads like a laundry list of many of the key problems suffered by African nations in our modern world. The AIDS epidemic is raging, its citizens are oppressed and poor, and a seemingly patriarchal monarch appears to be reaping economic benefits on the backs of his citizens.

Presented in essentially three different narratives, the documentary tells the story of Mswati III, his eldest daughter Princess Sikhanyiso, and many of the political activists currently opposing the king's absolute rule. It's not for lack of interesting subject matter that the doc ultimately falls flat, but rather the director's stereotypical and overly heartfelt approach to filmmaking.

Of course, it's appalling to know that Swaziland's AID/HIV infection rate sits at a shocking 43 per cent; of course it's ridiculously upsetting to learn that the average life span in the country is a mere 30-odd years; and of course it's repulsive to note that all of this is going on while the king drives around in luxury cars and marries virgins. But what's even more ludicrous is that even with all of the above, Skolnik still can't capture the emotional core of the issue. Without The King is pedantic, sappy and surprisingly plain.