Videosyncracy

Independent DVD and VHS rental stores in the Los Angeles area struggle to bring in customers in this age of Netflix and other on-line markets. Bittersweet microcosm of American fortitude and stubbornness, co-directed by Lulu Hansen and Nadia Nikolic Bowen, lingers a bit too long over the faces of anxiety-ridden employees who can't afford to pay their bills and are unsure what the immediate future holds. More enjoyable are the stories of loyal customers who keep these businesses open by clinging to their past, renting silents or forgotten titles, however there's no indication where they find new VCRs after their old ones quit working. Any film-buff worth his salt will end up wanting to patronize these establishments, though the location-switch for one particular company doesn't appear to be paying off (you almost want to shout at the owner, "that new floor-plan isn't working!"). **1/2 from ****