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'I have to betray them to save them': how undercover film-makers exposed a sinister polygamous cult
In Netflix’s Trust Me: The False Prophet, documentarians in disguise help bring down a cult leader now serving a 50-year sentence
TL;DR
- Documentary filmmakers Rachel Dretzin, Christine Marie, and Tolga Katas infiltrated the FLDS community to expose cult leader Samuel Bateman.
- Marie and Katas posed as documentarians to gain trust, gather incriminating footage, and help turn witnesses against Bateman.
- Bateman, who presided over many underage 'wives,' is now serving a 50-year sentence for luring minors into criminal sex acts.
- The series "Trust Me: The False Prophet" highlights the psychological impact of cults and the ethical dilemmas faced by filmmakers.
- Dretzin notes the story's resonance with broader societal issues of blind obedience to authority and subjective truth, particularly in the current political climate.