A Certain Kind of Death

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A Certain Kind of Death

2003

1h 9m

Documentary

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

100%

Tomatometer

6 Reviews

81%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Through interviews with various Los Angeles County morgue employees who calmly confront death on a daily basis, as well as actual scenes of corpses being worked on, this documentary examines what happens to the bodies of people who do not have family or friends to manage a funeral or cremation. The movie unflinchingly and starkly details how bodies are found and processed at the coroner's office, and shows what happens to a person's belongings afterward and how corpses are cremated.

Pablo Villaça

Cinema em Cena

Um olhar detalhado e curioso sobre uma jornada burocrtica e mrbida.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 11, 2006

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Film Threat

Rated: 4/5

Dec 6, 2005

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Bill Gibron

DVD Verdict

Instantly taking its place in the canon of stirring, seminal documentaries, A Certain Kind of Death is destined to be remembered...

Rated: 95/100

Jul 5, 2005

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

A strange documentary that visits the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office.

Rated: B-

Jan 17, 2005

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Joshua Tanzer

Offoffoff

It's just like 'C.S.I.' only without the stars, without the glamour, without evil geniuses, cat-and-mouse games and chases. In short, without the 'C.'

Rated: 3/4

Feb 5, 2004

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Film Threat

Rated: 4/5

Mar 23, 2003

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Jerod S

LA coroners pick up and deal with bodies with no next of kin.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

09/12/25

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Oaklee D

An unflinching and incredibly bleak look at what happens to people in America who die with no next of kin. Definitely eye opening yet some people may find it confronting and hard to stomach.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/02/25

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Audience Member

Absolutely stunning movie. The makers of the film are never heard from themselves, but the visual story telling work is wonderful. Not for the faint of heart but definitely worth the watch

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

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Audience Member

Interesting... lol!!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Death is all too often hidden from us in today's world. Here's a bunch of cameras aiming to resolve that. This is what documentaries are all about- cameras and the truth, whether it's what we want to see or not.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Obviously low budget, but with great pacing and some utterly shocking moments and imagery, A Certain Kind Of Death is crude and unbiased in its portrayal of what happens to the deceased who are not claimed by their families, and it leaves the viewer thoughtful and haunted by the shocking and srangely interesting process.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

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Grover Babcock

Director

Blue Hadaegh

Director

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Synopsis

Through interviews with various Los Angeles County morgue employees who calmly confront death on a daily basis, as well as actual scenes of corpses being worked on, this documentary examines what happens to the bodies of people who do not have family or friends to manage a funeral or cremation. The movie unflinchingly and starkly details how bodies are found and processed at the coroner's office, and shows what happens to a person's belongings afterward and how corpses are cremated.

Director: Grover Babcock, Blue Hadaegh
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Runtime: 1h 9m