Screen Works
Holy Hell
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A 2016 documentary directed by Will Allen, a former Buddhafield member and the group's official videographer for over two decades, assembled from his own archive and new interviews with former members.
Facts
Disputed
Scholarly ReceptionReviewers split on the film's craft even while agreeing on the strength of its subject: the Boston Globe treated it as a substantial account of the group's arc, while The Film Stage graded it C-, calling it "a disappointing misfire" hampered by excessive voiceover and pacing despite capturing, in its own words, "a documentary villain for the ages." 1 Recorded as debated because the two cited reviews reach opposite verdicts on the film's craft; neither is treated as the deciding account. Subject Matter
Religious Subject MatterBuddhafield, a group of roughly 150 members at its peak led by a teacher known across the years as Michel and other names, and testimony from former members that the teacher sexually exploited male disciples under cover of spiritual guidance, claims he has denied and for which no criminal charges have been filed. No ritual or devotional practice is described beyond what the two cited reviews themselves report. 2 Production
Release Year Country of Origin Cross-Tradition Connections
Critiqued Here
A former member's own account, made independent of the group and airing abuse allegations against its teacher, not a production of Buddhafield itself.
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