The Love Prophet and the Children of God
The Fetishist
An eye-opening documentary about the American cult-like community called The Children of God, led by David Berg, preacher-turned-charismatic leader. He was known as "Dad," as he delighted in sexual experiments that included sharing his wives and pimping the Children of God’s women to bring new males into the group. (River and Joaquin Phoenix’s parents were missionaries.) Interviews with past and present members, including the current leader, Berg’s son.
This undeniably disturbing animation is based on the serial killer career of William Heirens in the 1940s, known for his lipstick message scrawled on walls: "For heavens sake, catch me before I kill more." Using hand-drawn magic marker images, animator Jim Trainor focuses on the sexual psychopathology of Heirens’ adolescence, intertwining events in Heirens’ life with dreams and metaphoric fantasies.