At the Mountain Rock Church in South Carolina, Pastor Raimund Melz leads a small Christian cult that justifies brutal actions like child abuse with the words of the Old Testament. Documentarian Ondi Timoner focuses on one family in particular, who left the church with plans to file charges against Melz before eventually checking into a one-of-a-kind cult treatment center. Timoner's film follows their journey as they receive psychological help and then return home to confront their former pastor.
Direction
Timoner's patient, intimate access builds devastating trust.
Editing
Juxtaposes Melz's sermons with wreckage—no commentary needed.
Director
Ondi Timoner
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Released during the peak of post-Waco cult fascination, it sidesteps spectacle for mundane American horror—the cult is a storefront church, not a compound.
Timoner spent years earning access; the family initially contacted her believing she could help their legal case, not knowing she'd observe their psychological unraveling.
US
