What do the media say about this new Netflix docuseries?
Although Osho (Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh) has only been “cursorily referenced” in the 6-part docuseries (according to The Daily Beast), the media have disproportionally chosen shots from our commune in their reviews.
Above is a scan of G. Allen Johnson review in the San Francisco Chronicle, on 28 July 2023, which Dhanyam from Viha Connection sent us a few days ago with the remark, “The title of the review is: ‘Playbook on how not to make a docuseries’, and as we can guess, the review is definitely not positive. Some excerpts:
“The snarky and slim Netflix documentary series ‘How to Become a Cult Leader’ should have been titled ‘Cult Leaders for Dummies’. […]
“The cult leaders profiles are Charles Manson, Jim Jones – both of whom used San Francisco as a part-time base for attracting followers – Buddhafield funder Jaime Gomez, Heaven’s Gate founder Marshall Applewhite, Aum Shinrikyo founder Shoko Asahara and Unification Church founder the Rev, Sun Myung Moon. […]
“Although there is ample historical footage of all of these insane people, ‘How to Become a Cult Leader’ repeatedly employs the tired cliche of using stock footage to underline its points. For example, in discussing Applewhite, who believed his human followers could ascend to join extraterrestrials, the filmmakers cut to cheesy scenes from low-budget 1950s science fiction films. Ha ha.
“More successful is the creative animation that allows us to drop in on the private decision-making of the cult leaders that the video archives could not capture.”
Allen Johnson’s final judgement: “‘How to Become a Cult Leader’ instead becomes a playbook of an unintended sort: how not to make a docuseries.”
Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter (screenshot above) cannot save it either. He writes:
“Peter Dinklage returns as the wry narrator for the ‘How to Become a Tyrant’ team’s comic exploration of the mind-control playbook followed by Charles Manson, Jim Jones and more. […]
“There really is clever stuff here and a few interesting linkages, and I can’t speak highly enough of how much value Dinklage adds, but by the end of five episodes, ‘How to Become a Cult Leader’ was out of satirical ideas. The sixth episode, an attempt to tie the series together, is a total dud.”
And Nick Schager from The Daily Beast (screenshot above):
“There isn’t anything profound to be gleaned from How to Become a Cult Leader that hasn’t been covered before, and in greater depth. However, as a snack-sized synopsis of cults and the maneuvers and machinations that allow them to flourish, it’s a reasonably informative and—thanks to Dinklage’s amusingly droll participation—entertaining compendium.”
Score 52%: metacritic.com
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