Father's House

How was a Danish cult leader able to exert such great influence over her followers? The Christian evangelical community Faderhuset turned its back on the outside world. Cult leaders manipulated members by first pressuring and humiliating them, and then drawing them back in with warmth and affection. Several former members share their experiences, which are reenacted by actors. For example, one former member recounts how the cult's leader “adopted” her and, as part of the process, subjected her to a ritual that she experienced as intimately abusive and violating. Another member, who has a disability, was put in a car after a “transgression” and shouted at by angry cult members for half an hour.

The use of reenacted scenes in a documentary is not unique, but here it takes on an extra dimension through the presence, during filming, of former cult members as advisers who help the actors find the right tone. The result—a documentary, making-of, and feature film all in one—captures a series of confrontational moments in which painful memories are brought back to life.