Doc’s Kingdom

In an abandoned building in Lisbon’s harbor area, a terrain vague surrounded by refineries and warehouses, lives the American doctor Doc (Paul McIsaac). Having returned to Europe after several years in Africa, he numbs himself with alcohol and sticks to his daily hospital routine. His mundane life, punctuated by ominous micro-aggressions from the locals, is disrupted by the arrival of his son (Vincent Gallo) from New York, who confronts his elusive father. After the failure of the sci-fi spectacle *Diesel* (1985), Kramer found his way back to his distinctive style with *Doc’s Kingdom*, generously supported by producer Paulo Branco. At the same time, Doc takes shape as a character whose fictional biography will evolve from the political radicalism in *Ice* through *Doc’s Kingdom* to the traveling doctor in *Route One/USA*. Kramer states, “*Doc’s Kingdom* returns to my subject matter: the USA, a homeland, a country you inevitably belong to, and one you are forever excluded from.” (Volker Pantenburg)

Courtesy of Cinémathèque française

Photo: Austrian Film Museum