A Certain Kind of Death

While peppered with disturbing images of corpses that are not for the faint of heart, this straightforward, cinema vérité 2003 documentary from filmmakers Blue Hadaegh and Grover Babcock provides a surprisingly engrossing glimpse into the Los Angeles County Coroner's processing of the forgotten dead, i.e., those who die with no next of kin. Riding along with employees on a few calls to retrieve newly discovered bodies, the film then follows up on each case: tracking attempts to locate any living relatives, the investigation into assets and wills (hoping to discover burial wishes and the funds to execute them), the auctioning of unclaimed property, and finally the burial or cremation--all of which can sometimes take years to complete. Leaving no part of the process unexplored, Hadaegh and Babcock stay out of the way, letting their footage speak for itself without being hampered by narration or talking-head interviews. Recipient of the Documentary Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, DVD extras for A Certain Kind of Death include deleted scenes and FAQ interview segments. Recommended. Aud: P. (R. Blackwelder)