Just Because You're Paranoid...
by Liz Kilduff
New World Order
Directed by Luke Meyer and Andrew Neel
The New World Order theory posits that the global elite are secretly planning to create a totalitarian world government and enslave the masses. Luke Meyer and Andrew Neel's new documentary proves that the adherents of this theory are just as fascinating as the theory itself. While it would be easy to present the stereotype — deluded, paranoid loonies strapped to their ham radios — Meyer and Neel offer an unbiased view of their subjects that resembles something of a psychological profile. Their first documentary, Darkon, investigated LARPers (live-action role-players), another oft-misunderstood group, with a similar objective quality; with New World Order, they seem to be carving out their own genre.
The star of the film is Alex Jones, the man behind Infowars.com and a series of videos about secret government activity. A handful of devotees to the New World Order theory are highlighted as well, spanning from recent inductees, like twenty-one-year-old Luke Rudowski, to long-time activists like Jack McLamb, who lives in a separatist community in the mountains of Idaho (to capture the high ground). Meyer and Neel document their daily activities and film their demonstrations and speeches, but the heart of the film and the only glimpses of the directors' intentions are in the interviews. It is here that the nobility of the activists' quest for truth and the failings of their extremism are exposed: the camera zoomed in on their faces as if trying to get a closer look, trying to understand. There are moments, however, when film begins to drag, when the protests start to sound like a lot of shouting and the movement looks to be an exercise in futility. Perhaps this is the point of the film, but the lack of momentum begins to wear on the viewer, even as her fascination with the subjects forbids her to lose interest.
Opens May 22
Directed by Luke Meyer and Andrew Neel
The New World Order theory posits that the global elite are secretly planning to create a totalitarian world government and enslave the masses. Luke Meyer and Andrew Neel's new documentary proves that the adherents of this theory are just as fascinating as the theory itself. While it would be easy to present the stereotype — deluded, paranoid loonies strapped to their ham radios — Meyer and Neel offer an unbiased view of their subjects that resembles something of a psychological profile. Their first documentary, Darkon, investigated LARPers (live-action role-players), another oft-misunderstood group, with a similar objective quality; with New World Order, they seem to be carving out their own genre.
The star of the film is Alex Jones, the man behind Infowars.com and a series of videos about secret government activity. A handful of devotees to the New World Order theory are highlighted as well, spanning from recent inductees, like twenty-one-year-old Luke Rudowski, to long-time activists like Jack McLamb, who lives in a separatist community in the mountains of Idaho (to capture the high ground). Meyer and Neel document their daily activities and film their demonstrations and speeches, but the heart of the film and the only glimpses of the directors' intentions are in the interviews. It is here that the nobility of the activists' quest for truth and the failings of their extremism are exposed: the camera zoomed in on their faces as if trying to get a closer look, trying to understand. There are moments, however, when film begins to drag, when the protests start to sound like a lot of shouting and the movement looks to be an exercise in futility. Perhaps this is the point of the film, but the lack of momentum begins to wear on the viewer, even as her fascination with the subjects forbids her to lose interest.
Opens May 22
