I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

An interesting documentary worth viewing. Seeing how ordinary people can be caught up in the web of a cult without ever realising what was truly going on. Rather a unique view from people who joined at the begining, their life inside and ultimately how they were able to break away and leave.

The filmmaker of this documentary (Will Allen) used to be the official filmmaker of the cult for more than twenty years, so he had a lot of video material to work with, which provided a uniquely in-depth and colourful insight into the strange workings and trappings of this group. This movie can serve up a lot more than just the usual newspaper clippings and filmed retrospective interviews.The guru of this cult is an incredibly odd and camp former / failed bit part actor and dancer (nothing wrong with that, by the way, there's a lot of those around) who apparently had a unique talent for conducting meditation session. And for recruiting some of the best looking acolytes ever. Even his disgruntled former members looked back upon those initial "shaktis" fondly, and the way they described those sessions made me wonder whether those sessions had not been spiked with psychedelic drugs.Some members then became totally devoted to Michel, one member describes how his life centered around creating incredibly elaborate fruit salads for his master. To me, that was already the point when the sexual abuse that followed became almost inevitable. Those people have to face up to the fact that they pulled out the stops themselves.Michel must have been very patient and sly to wait until his followers had severed all ties with the real world before he started to profit from them sexually. Unsurprisingly, and despite his public denigrations of sexuality which he used to isolate his followers from each other, he eventually started to sexually abuse his attractive male disciples.

I have amended my review since first watching. I have increased my rating from two stars because I have discovered that this story is true and it has stayed with me and for those reasons I consider it worth a five. We all make mistakes because that is what being human is all about Some are more embarrassing than others but we must take responsibility for our own actions as adults. I mean if you are going to follow an odd looking guy who's standard dress is Speedo swimwear; who used to be a ballet dancer but now claims he's God and then, 22 years later, suddenly discover that he was weird. Like: "Who could have known?" Can you be surprised if others ask if you're kidding? This sense of incredulity compelled me to find out more. Having done some research I do now believe it is, sadly, genuine. As a documentary it is supposed to make one feel uncomfortable but this did not feel like a documentary. It was more like a mockumentary. I was not always convinced. At times it just felt like I was watching actors berate their fellows. It had a voyeuristic feel to it and that is the nature of all good cinema, hence part of my struggle to connect to the story as anything but a piece of fiction. It also relied too much on hearsay. It was borderline gossip, hence its compelling appeal.As a piece of entertainment it is definitely watchable. It does get a little prerdictable at times. However, the story carries one along, more or less. The cult leader is, in short, a diva and as such has a certain fascination. The cult could be likened to his fantasy production company and the members his supporting cast. To me the whole ensemble is just a little too dramatic for my tastes but I do not live in Hollywoodland and so to each their own and probably why I find it difficult to relate.The reveal towards the end is not unexpected and no where near as shocking as I believe the makers probably expected it to be. As for the claim that all the negative reviews are coming from cult members the contrary could equally be true. So all the positives could be coming from friends and family of the makers. There is no easy way to know. So this kind of claim is less than helpful to the casual reader. People come here to see if it's worth their time to watch it. So just review the work as you see it, avoid the speculative supposition and let others decide for themselves whether the reviews are genuine or not. For me it was a little bizarre and felt a little like an episode of Fantasy Island gone wrong.

Worth 8+ .Not sure Why some reviewers think its hard to believe someone would follow that leader, he was cunning, energetic, mesmerizing and a good psychological manipulator. Also, he was able it seem to channel at times energetic forces and focus people together to do so, resulting in so call spiritual,mental and physical experience that felt powerful to the group. Also a sense of belonging to oneself and the universe . People often need only a little push that way and wanna feel part of something, a group, a family, a nation. not alone. Charisma and assertive power come in many shapes and form. This documentary did and OK job to explain and show this, thanks!