health
'We can all be susceptible': how did a group of models get taken in by a cult?
In HBO docuseries Bring Me the Beauties, a lesser-known, image-obsessed cult from the 80s is put under the spotlight
TL;DR
- Filmmaker Chris Smith's new HBO miniseries 'Bring Me the Beauties' explores the rise and fall of Eternal Values, an 80s cult founded by Frederick von Mierers, which largely consisted of models.
- The project was inspired by an interview with Hoyt Richards, a former member and sometimes called the first male supermodel.
- Smith faced challenges in securing interviews, as former members had differing views on their involvement and some were reluctant to speak.
- The cult's focus on peak performance and image creation by von Mierers is seen as ahead of its time, with parallels to modern social media trends like wellness and 'looksmaxxing'.
- Archival footage from the 1980s and 90s, including von Mierers' own public access show, was deliberately degraded to evoke the era.
- The series is structured into three episodes: hope and promise, downfall, and aftermath.
- Smith intended to explore all points of view, acknowledging that life is rarely black and white and that individuals can relate to different aspects of such stories.
- The filmmaker views movies as mirrors to people's lives, suggesting that viewers might recognize cult-like dynamics in their own relationships.