Prophet's Prey (2015) - Amy Berg

Amy Berg's Prophet's Prey provides an in-depth education on the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints, a extremist christian group that split off from the Mormon church due primarily to their desire to continue  the practice of Polygamy.  Focusing on their leader, Warren Jeffs, a man who rose to Prophet in the church, Prophet's Prey details the extreme control and power this man was able to weld in the name of god, expanding the church's practices and his own personal power to levels never seen before in the FLDS.  Examining Warren Jeffs life, Prophet's Prey is a harrowing portrait of the extreme dangers associated with blind faith, revealing how Warren Jeff's was essentially a madman leading a super obedient congregation of members who indirectly allowed Jeff to do whatever he wanted out of fear of being punished by god.  The monstrocities Warren Jeff is able to commit under the veil of religion is downright sickening, whether it be extorting and/or overworking his congregation, to even more heinous acts like extensive child molestation and rape, Warren Jeff could only be described a tyrant after watching this film, a man of extreme power due to his congregation who blindly follows him.  While there have been a good amount of films about extremist christian groups, Prophet's Prey is able to stand out due to its ability to capture the very simplistic viewpoint of such groups.  With the FDLA it's simple, you are either with us or against us, and the films reveals just how far this group is capable of going, tearing families apart and expelling individuals from society in an effort to maintain control.  From a filmmaking perspective Prophet's Prey is a solid albeit unspectacular effort, which relies a little too much on talking heads and a very streamlined, straightforward narrative structure to deliver its powerful tale.  One choice by the filmmakers that I particularly liked was the use voiceover of Warren's sermons throughout the film, as his voice hangs over the story-line, a constant reminder of his tyrannical and authoritative grip this man has over his congregation.  Detailing the rise to power of a monster in Warren Jeff, Prophet's Prey is a terrifying portrait of a fundamentalist christian community and just how far people are willing to go for their beliefs. 

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