![]() ![]() We also see very interesting archival footage of the Church, and some beautiful shots taken of FLDS members in the present day, going about their business. Keeping in mind the actions of Jeffs, which are elucidated in disgusting detail later in the film, this voiceover becomes extremely disturbing over time adding another layer to the overall disgust that you might feel by the film’s end. Jeffs’ voice sounds so creepy, spoken in an intimate, soft whisper which sounds heavily medicated. Not only do we have capable voices leading the story, but we also have Warren Jeffs’ voice providing a sort of educational narration where key FLDS terms are clarified. Exploring the corruption of an extremely powerful leader, the film is constructed with talking head interviews from Krakauer and Brower, and also close relatives of Warren Jeffs who have been banished from the FLDS Church and are in a position to report on its shady business practices and its leader’s systematic sexual abuse of children. That being said, Prophet’s Prey acts as a pretty brutal analysis of a community/religion, led not only by extremely skilled director Amy Berg, but also Jon Krakauer, author of Into the Wild and Into Thin Air (both excellent books), and Sam Brower, a private investigator who has written an exposé on the FLDS Church both men who appear simultaneously intrigued and repelled by the FLDS Church. ![]() But when it comes to one Warren Jeffs, it’s probably best to keep him in a physical box of his very own for a long time. As should be the rule with fundamentalism and religion, it’s pretty important to keep those with fundamentalist beliefs in a theoretical box of their very own before thinking about generalising towards other strands within the religion. It’s also important to write this paragraph first in my review, because it would be very easy for anyone – given the brutal and shocking nature of this film – to generalise the actions of the Fundamentalist LDS Church across to the other theologies of this particular religion. It is important to note that Prophet’s Prey begins with an expressive animation that tells the story of the origins of the Latter Day Saints (LDS) religious movement – making very clear the divide between the LDS Church, the Mormon theology, and the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints (FLDS) Church, and the religion’s history with and differing views on polygamy. Like any good religious tale, it boils down to sex, greed, and the preservation of wealth. ![]() The FLDS was already a paternalistic religion with a history of polygamous and underaged marriage, yet Warren managed to expand these practices in unprecedented ways, bridging the gap between sister wives and ecclesiastically-justified rape. When Warren Jeffs rose to lead the FLDS he brought his dictatorial and sadistic desires to bear on a society that was all too vulnerable to exploitation. Prophet’s Prey is a disturbing and shocking examination of Warren Jeffs and the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints. Prophet’s Prey focuses its lens on a different religion, and different leader, perpetrating similar crimes. Prophet’s Prey (2015) is directed by Amy Berg, whose specialty as a documentarian appears to be in exposing crimes against children within the context of their society or religion at large beginning with as her Academy Award nominated documentary Deliver Us From Evil (2006), which explored numerous reports of child sexual abuse by defrocked Catholic priest Oliver O’Grady. Whether Masha turns out to be a nefarious self-interested narcissist or a truly helpful entity-and whether you want to run toward or screaming away from Tranquillum House-there are plenty of other creepy self-help shows out there to satisfy your cult craze.Documentaries which focus on uncovering the evils of religion are a particular favourite of mine to watch, and this documentary is no exception, despite its harrowing and sickening subject matter. Masha's idea of a wellness retreat? Encouraging her guests to lay in open graves to expel their own personal demons as she assures that there is "nothing to fear".but we're not entirely convinced. The series follows an "especially volatile" group of strangers portrayed by Melissa McCarthy, Luke Evans, Bobby Cannavale, Regina Hall, Michael Shannon, Samara Weaving, Melvin Gregg, Asher Keddie and Grace Van Patten, all of whom are looking for some sense of relief. 18, the rumors swirl over the true intentions-and, perhaps, identity-of Tranquillum House leader Masha Dmitrichenko, played by Nicole Kidmanin one of her most haunting roles yet. While we anxiously await the next episode of Hulu's Nine Perfect Strangers, which premiered Aug. Surrender yourself for the sake of tranquility. Sounds legit! ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |