
Ten years ago, a Pentecostal pastor from San Francisco was praying on a mountain top when he received a vision from God to spread the Gospel through filmmaking. Using donations from his congregation, he slowly transformed his church into a fully functioning movie studio, and the production company Christian WYSIWYG Filmworks was born. After experimenting on a number of small projects, Pastor Richard Gazowsky announced that he and his WYSIWYG crew were going to make a film ent... (Full plot summary below)
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Ten years ago, a Pentecostal pastor from San Francisco was praying on a mountain top when he received a vision from God to spread the Gospel through filmmaking. Using donations from his congregation, he slowly transformed his church into a fully functioning movie studio, and the production company Christian WYSIWYG Filmworks was born. After experimenting on a number of small projects, Pastor Richard Gazowsky announced that he and his WYSIWYG crew were going to make a film entitled, GRAVITY: THE SHADOW OF JOSEPH, a biblical science fiction movie that would redefine the Hollywood epic. AUDIENCE OF ONE is a documentary that chronicles the making of GRAVITY. This verite style film goes inside a Pentecostal church, where the charismatic Gazowsky leads his loyal cast and crew on an incredible journey that tests the limits of faith. From pre-production at their church, to shooting principal photography in Italy, to leasing an enormous studio on an island in the San Francisco Bay, AUDIENCE OF ONE keeps pace with an embattled church production who look to God in order to keep their dream alive. Full of humor and pathos, what transpires is a story of obsession, faith and delusion.
Leave your thoughts about Audience of One.
| Combustible CelluloidJeffrey M. AndersonI'm still recommending it, mainly because of the great story it hints at and for the way it genuinely captures the excitement and heartbreak of filmmaking. |
| New York PostV.A. MusettoDespite having no previous film experience, Kare Hedebrant and Lina Leandersson give evocative performances as Oskar and Eli, respectively. |
| Village VoiceJ. HobermanRidiculous as it is, Audience of One is more chilling than funny. |
| Time OutBen KenigsbergAt first, we're led to think we're in for a funny, affectionate portrayal of eccentricity. But as equipment malfunctions and debt piles up, it becomes clear the actual subject is the dangerously empowering nature of fanaticism. |
| New York TimesNathan LeeAudience of One follows the descent of a scrappy indie production into a full-blown fiasco and megalomaniacal folly. |
| San Francisco ChronicleWalter V. AddiegoEntertaining in a one-dimensional way, but ultimately rather sad, partly because of the level of delusion on display and partly because Gazowsky and company are an easy target. |
| User ReviewNicholas ARichard Gazowsky's dream of creating a sci-fi film which in his words "will be like Star Wars meets the Ten Commandmants" has failed miserably, seemingly no footage was useable and the church amassed massive debt during the delusional endeavour. Is Richard willing to face reality? hell no. Witness his God given future plans for him and his congregation: 1 - 47 film projects per year (so far none) 2 - Christian Theme Park 3 - 8 Tv networks 4 - Invent 1st organic microchip 5- Build an airline with terminal 6 - 27 resort cities/in world 7- Travel to outer space 8 - Colonize another planet. And all this while living at home with Mummy. |
| User ReviewM HI have to agree with the guy comparing this to "Aguirre: The Wrath of God." -- But Kinski's insanity -- though very violent and vocal -- almost seems tame in comparison with Richard Gazowsky presence, as subdued as it might seem to be. You start off thinking "Oh, that's nice... He's obviously naive, but a seemingly well-intentioned dreamer" which quickly progresses to "Wow... this guy is kind of a dick... But not a loud mouth dick... Just a dick that pretends like he's your friend but would gleefully piss on you while you're lying in a gutter"... And by the end, you become absolutely speechless. The Pastor's "8 Objectives" Powerpoint Presentation which he feeds to his congregation at the end of the film is one of the most penetrating insights into complete and total madness that I have ever seen on film. "Apocalypse Now" and "Aguirre" seem like small potatoes. Even his own followers, who followed him and supported him all throughout his disastrous efforts (which NEVER once proved to even seem optimistic, at any time) seem to begin to questioning the mental stability of the guy. Once he gets to his final point, the obligatory encouraging claps and applause begin to slow down and cease entirely. Just a surreal, hilarious, and terrifying experience all at once. Please see this movie. |
| User ReviewJoe GThis film manages to detail an entertainingly true story while at the same time making a social comment about faith and the power it can have on individuals. I was glad the film did not portray the pastor as some evil man, because he is quite the opposite. It is simply his delusional ideas that distance himself from others. Overall, though, it is fascinating to watch a man with no cinema experience try and film the greatest movie ever. |
| User ReviewEmmy MI love this documentary. It is funny, engaging, and uplifting. |