Search - Audience Of One on DVD

A highly entertaining documentary

B. Burger | New York, NY USA | 05/27/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"AUDIENCE OF ONE follows pastor Richard Gasowsky as he and his congregation struggle to make their first film, after he has a vision sent from God. He sells his house and he and his family move back in with his mother, as he raises the funds and convinces his church to make the science fiction version of the story of Joseph. He takes the crew all the way to Italy and back, as well as through the San Francisco legal system, as they try to learn how to make a film, and wait for funding from a mysterious German source. Despite the absurdity of the story-line, director Michael Jacobs gives us a rather unbiased, uncritical view of these aspiring filmmakers, allowing the characters and the people to take over without any mocking. In the end he produces a highly entertaining documentary that tells us of faith and filmmaking. I am still wondering what it was like to be a filmmaker filming other fimmakers that have no idea what they are doing. Was it frustrating? Did the documentary crew help? Perhaps I'll have to check out the DVD special features and see if I find my answer."

A cautionary tale

Rodney Wilson | Massachusetts USA | 01/28/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"On the surface, this documentary is about a preacher and his San Francisco congregation working together to do what they believe God has called them to do -- produce a Bible-based sci-fi / fantasy film. On a deeper level, it's an opportunity to observe how a rational faith can morph into a delusional one, and how confidence in one's own vision is abandoned when one's faith is given over to the vision of another."