Who's in It: King Mswati III of Swaziland
The Basics: Documentary about King Mswati III, the ruler of the southeastern country of Swaziland in Africa, which is the last absolute monarchy on Earth. His stats are: 14 wives (each with their own palace), 22 children in boarding schools, a personal jet, private army and about $9 billion in wealth. Meanwhile, the population of Swaziland lives in crushing poverty, relying on international aid for food, there's no clean drinking water and 46 percent of the country has HIV, a national life expectancy of 31 and 80,000 children orphaned by AIDS.
What's the Deal? What's interesting about this short, understated movie is that it refuses to clock you over the head again and again with heart-wrenching scenes of suffering like some kind of Idol Gives Back charity-thon. Instead, it presents a furious, frustrated, oppressed population and an oblivious, lip-service-delivering ruler whose days in power are most likely about to end in the coming years.
You Know What Swaziland Really Needs? Sephora! Footage of the king's young daughter, sent to Southern California to college, shows her marveling over the upscale boutiques in Los Angeles and expresses her desire for Swaziland to be as economically convenient for her own shopping needs.
OK, There's Some of that Idol Gives Back Stuff: But not much, really. What's there is harsh footage of people scavenging discarded animal intestines from the dump, cooking it up and eating it, then drinking stagnant pond water. But it's all superseded by angry interviews with poor people who are plotting to murder the royal family and anyone who gets in their way.
Guess Which Country Has Never Had a Civil War? … Yet