Audience of One

Bang! That's the sound of this viewer falling off the couch. I saw this on the Sundance Channel and was blown away. It isn't just the charismatic, yet loony, Brother Richard (who has been adequately explained above). But the characters surrounding him are just as compelling in their quest to set aside all reason to follow Richard's "vision". His Mother, an esteemed reverend in her own right, is supporting her son, but obviously can see the future. Her conflict moved me.

This is as much about human nature as God, but, by God, what were they thinking? I couldn't look away.

Amazing doc. If you are a documentary fan, this is a must see.

After the screening of Audience of One, much to the surprise--nay, the horror--of viewers, Pastor Richard Gazowsky and some of his congregation approached the stage with director Michael Jacobs. I, for one, had my hand over my mouth; my eyes were widened; and I certainly didn't know what to expect next.

But I'm getting ahead of myself--let's backtrack.

It took Gazowsky forty years to see his first feature film. Now the mission statement of his San Francisco based WYIWYG ("What You See Is What You Get") Filmworks is: "To bring the presence of God to people all over the world through entertainment." A highly unlikely candidate for a director, Gazowsky has made it his lifelong mission--since God told him to do it, of course--to get the biggest film ever on screen. It's kinda like "Star Wars meets The Ten Commandments"; shot on 65mm, it will be "the greatest movie ever made" and with a two million dollar budget to boot! A humble goal, indeed. Well, with that kind of pressure on your shoulders, it's no doubt that the film hasn't been made, despite hundreds of thousands of dollars and over a decade invested.

Jacobs doesn't really interfere much, in this film. He simply sits back and watches the roller coaster that is WYSIWYG Filmworks. Throughout the documentary, we see a highly inexperienced crew, a director who treats the set as a dictatorship instead of a collaboration, and a train wreck of goofs, mix-ups and failures. Anyone outsourced--and with any experience--ends up leaving, due to the misguided creative vision of the wannabe director. The crew spends money they don't have, relying on "investors" we never see; who end up dropping the whole project in the grease. Yet, the troupe hold on to that crazy vision and pray like there's no tomorrow because they are bound by faith! Just about the entire film made me laugh out loud, but at the same time, I felt a little ill in my stomach. The real question here--despite all the buffoonery and delusion--seems to be of immense import: is all of this a tad bit dangerous? Going back to the Q&A session, after the film; one audience member asked the pastor if he'd immediately turn to operate, if God had asked him to be a surgeon. And while the pastor's answer is an obvious one, the question still lingers in the air. Is this man's ambitiousness capable of hurting others around him? I certainly don't doubt this man's determination or his conviction--he actually sold his house to help the project--however, I do have doubt in his ability to deliver. And while he may be blinded by his own ambition, it's simply no excuse to waste the hopes and aspirations--and money!--of true believers, on the weak foundation of a deluded dream. This problematic, cultish mentality might be funny from the outside; but as we've seen so many times over: fundamentalism can be a very dangerous thing.

The pastor's response to all of this?

"It's like watching yourself go to the toilet," he says with sincerity. "I don't like to see myself cry. I feel like a total idiot in front of you guys. But what if we end up getting funded, dude? Then I'm not so stupid. Maybe." Maybe. Or, perhaps you're just a charlatan, who's just wasted another large sum of money--and someone else's dreams--due to false promises, based on absurdity and lofty goals, impossible to meet.

This is interesting, but more than interesting it's pathetic & sad. This Pastor or "Director" (I use that term as loosely as possible) is completely an utterly useless. He is sincere as can be, but my god he is such a clueless person it's embarrassing. He doesn't seem to have any clue about how to deal w/people in general. I'm not even talking about his so-called directing, I'm talking about in general. His whole delusions of Grandeur is so absurd you can't believe this guy isn't in a mental institution. The way he is making his congregation pay for his movie doesn't seem like it should be legal. How anybody listens to this guy is beyond me. There are some parts that are so funny for all the wrong reasons it makes you feel embarrassed for those involved. I can't explain enough what a completely clueless individual this Pastor is. He also seems to try and get out of everything a rational person would understand needs to be done or paid for, by saying the most cliché' line that religious people use..."It's God's Will." Give me a break! They expect to just stay in this giant warehouse for free? The city shuts off the electricity for not paying rent & it's the Devil's fault? What a joke. If you enjoy watching people making fool's of themselves then surely you'll enjoy this. Him going around saying he has $200 million in funding from Germany is a GIANT LIE! Why would anybody give this guy that sort of money? Yeah they wouldn't. I bet there is almost zero usable film either & he should pay back all of the money he blew on this to the congregation.

Pastor Gazowsky is a nice man. He is humble, caring, has a healthy family, and is devoted to his faith. He also wants to make the most expensive movie ever made, based on seeing his first movie at age 40! This documentary on the onset seems wacky and strange, but it isn't. Neither is it scathing or brutal in its portrayal of a man with a vision. It simply tells the struggle of a man with no film making experience trying to adapt the story of Joseph to the big screen, sci-fi style. As an audience member, you'll find yourself cringing over how awkward Pastor Richard Gazowsky is trying to explain how the film making process is going. But it is well worth watching.

You're in the audience and you're waiting. Perhaps you're waiting to see if this science- fiction/faith film will ever get made, if it will be a total failure. Maybe you're even wondering if the filmmaker can wait himself without going mad. Mostly, however, you find yourself waiting to have your suspicions confirmed that Richard Gazowksy is in fact crazy, manipulative and this is all a giant scam. But that answer never comes.

Mike Jacobs, in his debut as a filmmaker, has created something that is so scarily objective when looked at on the whole, that you can't ever truly say that the whole film is a lie. His film, "Audience of One" follows a pentecostal preacher in San Francisco named Richard Gazowsky who for ten years has been following a divinely-inspired idea to start a film production company and create a multi-million dollar science-fiction film with biblical overtones so that he can reach an "audience of one."

At first you are thrust into the film's production process. As much as any non-pentecostal would doubt the divine nature of the film at first, you almost fully believe that WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) Productions is going to make this film. You see all kinds of equipment, professional costume design, sketches, everything to make you believe they are funded and they will do this. As the film progresses and the absurdity continues, Jacobs balances out by showing the true nature of the production team's faith and deep religious connection to this film. You want to laugh at it all, but there's a sincerity Jacobs is sure to capture to create an objective film.

Of course there comes a point in the film where it seems impossible, that the hurdles are too high for them to make this happen, which is where the film shines. Jacobs captures just how serious they are, just how far faith will take these people through the most perilous and concerning of situations. They are so convinced that it is all part of God's plan that you as a viewer still empathize with their understanding of the situation.

While certain aspects of the film feel untapped or not pursued further, it is all sacrificed to create this effect in which the viewer must admit there are truly two sides, two ways to see Gazowsky and his crew and his church. If you can let go of the aggressive documentarian impulse than this film is truly enjoyable. If your true nature is to probe and make bold assertions, you're best suited to watch a Michael Moore documentary.