Our take
Prophet’s Prey is a documentary on the sect known as Fundamentalist Latter-Day Saints and its leader, Warren Jeffs. Claiming to have inherited a direct connection to God, Jeffs has used this pretext to control a closed society of thousands of individuals on a shockingly personal level, as well as marry dozens of underage girls and harvest the community’s financial resources on behalf of “the church.”
The subject is deftly handled by filmmaker Amy Berg (Deliver Us From Evil). Here she presents most of the story via interviews with the people whose tenacity was instrumental in exposing Jeffs. Woven throughout the film, too, is the haunting, disembodied voice of Jeffs himself, in recorded words to his followers, along with film footage of present-day FLDS communities. What emerges is the picture of a terrifying madman who still wields a disturbing amount of power over thousands of active congregants. Absolutely riveting.
What it won
WGA
1 nom
The story
Filmmaker Amy Berg sheds light on the sexual, financial and spiritual abuses heaped upon members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by their former leader, Warren Jeffs.
Elsewhere
"At its best, this is an absorbing look at how people fall under the control of sick, sadistic hucksters."
— Bilge Ebiri
"It speaks for itself. And what it says is scarier than any horror film this year."
— Brian Tallerico
The details
Fifi Howls from Happiness
Mitra Farahani
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Jamie Kastner
The Other Dream Team
Marius A. Markevicius & Marius Markevicius
Uppity: The Willy T. Ribbs Story
Adam Carolla & Nate Adams
Undefeated
Daniel Lindsay & T. J. Martin
Mr. Bachmann and His Class
Female director & Maria Speth
Clean, Shaven
Lodge Kerrigan
The Bleeding Edge
Kirby Dick
Who picked it
Jenna Gordon is a contributing writer at A Good Movie to Watch, focused on reviews and recommendations across the major streaming platforms.
