"You know, I did a huge amount of psychedelics. I also knew that I was the son of God. I was told that I had it... but I wasn't gonna go around shouting about it."
Three guys with identity problems, in one boat, but on different geographic coordinates. It's "Vissarion" born as Sergey Anatolyevitch Torop, now residing at Tiberkul, Taiga, in the rural Krasnoyarsk region of Siberia, with thousands of international followers. And "Inri Cristo" born Álvaro Thais/Theiss of German decent, lives comfortably in Curtiba, Paraná, Southern Brazil, with a small group of female disciples. But also
David Shayler, the squatter Messiah at Guildford Cathedral, Surrey, England, who lives in a minor hippie commune.
A motley trio of Jesus imitators among thousands of others. Pick your favourite and submit.
"The fact is, God has never talked to people. He can't even speak to them." (Vissarion 2010)
Brilliant documentary!
2 Reviews
Accept no imitations or substitutes !
myriamlenys17 May 2021
Warning: Spoilers
"I am Jesus" observes daily life in three communities : one in Russia, one in England and one in Brazil. Each of these communities owes its existence to a different spiritual leader, and each spiritual leader says he, and nobody else, is the Second Coming of Christ. (It's a rather dispiriting idea that the documentary makers could have found twenty or thirty additional "Lords", "Messiahs" or "Saviors" simply by broadening their geographical search.)
"I am Jesus" is quite an intriguing documentary, which observes rather than challenges the various participants. This may be a wise approach, since the various people involved talk freely about their ideas and ideals while going about their daily business. As a result the viewer gets an unusually intimate look at life inside a remarkable group.
Moreover, it's a documentary which contains truly weird images and scenes, worthy of inclusion in a surreal comedy. For instance, it turns out that the Brazilian Messiah, one "Inri Cristo", likes to sit on a throne helpfully inscribed with the mention "King of Kings". It also turns out that some of his female followers are fond of singing, which involves mangling a variety of international hits. (Harmony of the Spheres it's not.) My jaw - made in Belgium - nearly dropped to the floor when I heard a few of the chosen ones perform "Ne me quitte pas", the immortal chanson penned by my compatriot Jacques Brel. You can't make this up.
"I am Jesus" is sure to provide many hours of discussion material, for instance about the thin and treacherous borders between a sect and a spiritual movement, between an official Church and a fringe club, between religious fervor and religious mania, between innocence and gullibility and between belief and madness. And then there's another fundamental question. Which ones are the most needy and the most greedy - the leaders or the followers ?
"I am Jesus" is quite an intriguing documentary, which observes rather than challenges the various participants. This may be a wise approach, since the various people involved talk freely about their ideas and ideals while going about their daily business. As a result the viewer gets an unusually intimate look at life inside a remarkable group.
Moreover, it's a documentary which contains truly weird images and scenes, worthy of inclusion in a surreal comedy. For instance, it turns out that the Brazilian Messiah, one "Inri Cristo", likes to sit on a throne helpfully inscribed with the mention "King of Kings". It also turns out that some of his female followers are fond of singing, which involves mangling a variety of international hits. (Harmony of the Spheres it's not.) My jaw - made in Belgium - nearly dropped to the floor when I heard a few of the chosen ones perform "Ne me quitte pas", the immortal chanson penned by my compatriot Jacques Brel. You can't make this up.
"I am Jesus" is sure to provide many hours of discussion material, for instance about the thin and treacherous borders between a sect and a spiritual movement, between an official Church and a fringe club, between religious fervor and religious mania, between innocence and gullibility and between belief and madness. And then there's another fundamental question. Which ones are the most needy and the most greedy - the leaders or the followers ?
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