Bang! That's the sound of this viewer falling off the couch. I saw this on the Sundance Channel and was blown away. It isn't just the charismatic, yet loony, Brother Richard (who has been adequately explained above). But the characters surrounding him are just as compelling in their quest to set aside all reason to follow Richard's "vision". His Mother, an esteemed reverend in her own right, is supporting her son, but obviously can see the future. Her conflict moved me.This is as much about human nature as God, but, by God, what were they thinking? I couldn't look away.Amazing doc. If you are a documentary fan, this is a must see.

You're in the audience and you're waiting. Perhaps you're waiting to see if this science- fiction/faith film will ever get made, if it will be a total failure. Maybe you're even wondering if the filmmaker can wait himself without going mad. Mostly, however, you find yourself waiting to have your suspicions confirmed that Richard Gazowksy is in fact crazy, manipulative and this is all a giant scam. But that answer never comes.Mike Jacobs, in his debut as a filmmaker, has created something that is so scarily objective when looked at on the whole, that you can't ever truly say that the whole film is a lie. His film, "Audience of One" follows a pentecostal preacher in San Francisco named Richard Gazowsky who for ten years has been following a divinely-inspired idea to start a film production company and create a multi-million dollar science-fiction film with biblical overtones so that he can reach an "audience of one."At first you are thrust into the film's production process. As much as any non-pentecostal would doubt the divine nature of the film at first, you almost fully believe that WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) Productions is going to make this film. You see all kinds of equipment, professional costume design, sketches, everything to make you believe they are funded and they will do this. As the film progresses and the absurdity continues, Jacobs balances out by showing the true nature of the production team's faith and deep religious connection to this film. You want to laugh at it all, but there's a sincerity Jacobs is sure to capture to create an objective film.Of course there comes a point in the film where it seems impossible, that the hurdles are too high for them to make this happen, which is where the film shines. Jacobs captures just how serious they are, just how far faith will take these people through the most perilous and concerning of situations. They are so convinced that it is all part of God's plan that you as a viewer still empathize with their understanding of the situation.While certain aspects of the film feel untapped or not pursued further, it is all sacrificed to create this effect in which the viewer must admit there are truly two sides, two ways to see Gazowsky and his crew and his church. If you can let go of the aggressive documentarian impulse than this film is truly enjoyable. If your true nature is to probe and make bold assertions, you're best suited to watch a Michael Moore documentary.

After the screening of Audience of One, much to the surprise--nay, the horror--of viewers, Pastor Richard Gazowsky and some of his congregation approached the stage with director Michael Jacobs. I, for one, had my hand over my mouth; my eyes were widened; and I certainly didn't know what to expect next.But I'm getting ahead of myself--let's backtrack.It took Gazowsky forty years to see his first feature film. Now the mission statement of his San Francisco based WYIWYG ("What You See Is What You Get") Filmworks is: "To bring the presence of God to people all over the world through entertainment." A highly unlikely candidate for a director, Gazowsky has made it his lifelong mission--since God told him to do it, of course--to get the biggest film ever on screen. It's kinda like "Star Wars meets The Ten Commandments"; shot on 65mm, it will be "the greatest movie ever made" and with a two million dollar budget to boot! A humble goal, indeed. Well, with that kind of pressure on your shoulders, it's no doubt that the film hasn't been made, despite hundreds of thousands of dollars and over a decade invested.Jacobs doesn't really interfere much, in this film. He simply sits back and watches the roller coaster that is WYSIWYG Filmworks. Throughout the documentary, we see a highly inexperienced crew, a director who treats the set as a dictatorship instead of a collaboration, and a train wreck of goofs, mix-ups and failures. Anyone outsourced--and with any experience--ends up leaving, due to the misguided creative vision of the wannabe director. The crew spends money they don't have, relying on "investors" we never see; who end up dropping the whole project in the grease. Yet, the troupe hold on to that crazy vision and pray like there's no tomorrow because they are bound by faith! Just about the entire film made me laugh out loud, but at the same time, I felt a little ill in my stomach. The real question here--despite all the buffoonery and delusion--seems to be of immense import: is all of this a tad bit dangerous? Going back to the Q&A session, after the film; one audience member asked the pastor if he'd immediately turn to operate, if God had asked him to be a surgeon. And while the pastor's answer is an obvious one, the question still lingers in the air. Is this man's ambitiousness capable of hurting others around him? I certainly don't doubt this man's determination or his conviction--he actually sold his house to help the project--however, I do have doubt in his ability to deliver. And while he may be blinded by his own ambition, it's simply no excuse to waste the hopes and aspirations--and money!--of true believers, on the weak foundation of a deluded dream. This problematic, cultish mentality might be funny from the outside; but as we've seen so many times over: fundamentalism can be a very dangerous thing.The pastor's response to all of this?"It's like watching yourself go to the toilet," he says with sincerity. "I don't like to see myself cry. I feel like a total idiot in front of you guys. But what if we end up getting funded, dude? Then I'm not so stupid. Maybe." Maybe. Or, perhaps you're just a charlatan, who's just wasted another large sum of money--and someone else's dreams--due to false promises, based on absurdity and lofty goals, impossible to meet.

This film screened at the SXSW film festival in Austin, TX where it was very well-received by audiences and received a Special Jury Award. Audience of One may be the first "Making Of" film for an unmade film.The film captured the incredibly bizarre story Reverend Richard Gazowsky's San Francisco-based Pentecostal Church and their efforts to create a film studio and film a great Christian epic film that would be a combination of "Star Wars" and the "Ten Commandments." Audience of One brilliantly captures the inevitable train wreck that ensues as they assemble a cast and crew of mostly incompetent amateurs and attempt to create a great film. Their mistakes are laughable and absurd to any film professional.Despite persistence and dedication, they spend hundreds of thousands of dollars and are never able to come anywhere close to creating a real film. Audience of One is really a study of the meaning of fundamentalist faith and asks us where we should draw the line between reason/rationality and faith in God. Rational Modernists could view their actions as insane and irrational and wonder whether these people would actually "drink the Kool-Aid" if asked. The film is also a study of the power of charismatic leadership to make people act in ways that seem irrational to outsiders. Still, while their pursuit may seem wasteful and a little foolish it is ultimately fairly harmless compared to, for example, the Rev. Fred Phelps "God Hates Fags" ministry as portrayed in the brilliant documentary "Fall from Grace" (which also screened this year at SXSW).Audience of One is a truly enjoyable film to watch. It is both humorous and sad at the same time. While Audience of One serves as a warning about the dangers of fundamentalism, it should also offer secular viewers people a useful window into the power of religious faith to inspire believers. Perhaps the real lesson is that faith is a powerful tool and if harnessed for the right means can actually inspire believers in many ways. Here the task that people are inspired to pursue is one that is beyond their means, but that should be contrasted with the vast amount of good deeds that is accomplished by religious believers on a daily basis. I hope that people don't take from this film only the message that faith is dangerous and destructive, but rather the message that faith needs to be balanced with rationality.