By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 5 cats
Director: Mark Jacobs
Country: united_states
Year: 2007
Running time: 88
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0976087/
Bruce says: “Pentecostals are also known as ‘holy rollers’ because of all the moving and shaking going on during the services. The Voice of Pentecost Church was founded in San Francisco in 1966 by Marilynn Gazowsky. It was linked to what was called the Hippie Jesus movement. If that sounds strange, remember San Francisco also spawned an order of transvestite nuns, The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. In 1988, after twenty two years, Marilynn Gazowsky decided it was time she turned the congregation over to her son Richard. Today she is wondering if that was a good decision. Mike Jacobs, in his first feature film, tells us why.
“While on a mountain top, Richard Gazowsky received a message from God that he had been chosen to make the first Biblical sci-fi film, GRAVITY: THE SHADOW OF JOSEPH. Gazowsky took the Lord’s command seriously and founded Christian WYSIWYG Films so Voice of Pentecost could become a major filmmaking presence. This documentary begins as the GRAVITY production gets underway. Makes no difference that not one person in the congregation has filmmaking experience. Using his family – wife Sandy, daughters Rocki Starr and Misty Dejavu and son Sunny – as production unit
heads, he sets off for Alberobello, a remote village in Southern Italy, where he plans five days of filming. There is no script; the equipment is old and lacks back up in case of malfunction; and the costumes are not ready. Everything is in Gazowsky’s head, the characters in the film, how they look, what they wear. The workers all adore him in spite of not having a clue what is going on. Days go by and nothing happens. Finally some footage is shot. (In Q & A the filmmaker tells us the Italian escapade netted two thirty second shots with no sound due to improperly functioning microphones.)
“Returning to San Francisco, Gazowsky rents a large film studio on Treasure Island halfway between San Francisco and Berkeley. He proclaims new backers have been found and the budget for GRAVITY is now 100 million. When, after a matter of a few months, WYSIGWYG is evicted for non-payment of rent Gazowsky again claims new financing has been found. He ups the GRAVITY budget to 200 million.
“AUDIENCE OF ONE is a documentary about Gazowsky, his church, the members of the church and their involvement in making GRAVITY. We meet everyone and hear their stories. Gazowsky himself is charming in a childlike kind of way. Personally, I feel the film is about outrage, duplicity, and gullibility; but that appears to be in the eyes of the beholder. When AUDIENCE OF ONE was screened for Gazowsky’s congregation it received a standing ovation.
“Gazowsky repeatedly states that he answers only to an audience of one, God. I’m sure that other faith-based filmmakers have the basics that Gazowsky lacks: scripts, budget, expertise, talent, and financial resources. To me, Gazowsky is a mere charlatan. AUDIENCE OF ONE presents a fascinating story, the stuff of which fiction is made. 5 cats”
Chris says: “Not all Pentecostals are scary, mean, ill-educated zealots who spend their days influencing politicians to criminalize abortion and other pursuits; there are some who just want to make elaborate, mind-boggling science fiction films about the biblical story of Joseph. This documentary follows Reverend Richard Grazowsky as he enlists the support of his family and his San Francisco-based church to make a cinematic masterpiece the likes of which the world has never seen. The problem is, first time filmmaker Grazowsky (who disturbingly resembles cult singer Daniel Johnston) is an ambitious but terribly incompetent director working with a shapeless, forever-changing script; the assembled cast and crew (most of them parishioners,
with a few bewildered outsiders along for the ride) ain’t much better.
“Naturally, everything that could possibly go wrong does, much of it during an ill-conceived two-week shoot in a surreal rural village in Italy. Hilarious and discomforting, the resulting train wreck is right up there with LOST IN LA MANCHA. Although it plays like a Christopher Guest mockumentary (only for real), director Michael Jacobs clearly didn’t set out to make fun of Grazowsky. He’s more fascinated by this band of eccentrics and his fair-handed approach and tone never deliberately exploits his subjects. In fact, although initially unnerved by what he saw, Grazowsky (and his congregation) apparently loves Jacobs’ film. AUDIENCE OF ONE is required cautionary viewing for any budding auteur, and highly entertaining for everyone else. 5 cats”