KUMARE
Friday, November 23, 2012 – Sunday, December 02, 2012
(USA/2011—directed by Vikram Gandhi)
Sri Kumaré is a guru from the East who has come to America to spread his teachings. In Arizona he finds a group of devoted students who embrace him as a true spiritual force. But Kumaré is planning to reveal a secret to his disciples. He is, in fact, not real – Kumaré is a filmmaker from New Jersey named Vikram Gandhi who wanted to see if he could pull this deception off. Though it may have begun as a Borat-style series of gags, this remarkable documentary becomes ever more interesting and thought-provoking, as Kumaré/Vikram struggles with the unforeseen problem he has created for himself. He has discovered that he cares for his followers, and his growing sense of responsibility toward them – and more than a little guilt – forces him to genuinely look inward as he contemplates the risks and rewards of revealing his “true self” to those have made serious changes to their lives as a result of his teachings. This “true story of a false prophet” is both surprising and illuminating, and one of the year’s most talked-about documentaries. Audience Award, South by Southwest Film Festival. (84 min.)
“Prepare to have your assumptions pitched out the window… tense, surprising and incredibly moving.” –Mark Holcomb, The Village Voice