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"Prophets Rising" is a film about a journey into the realm of the prophetic, a journey into a world where miracles, signs and wonders and prophecy are the norm. It is a world which we, two liberal women filmmakers, one Jewish, one recovering Episcopalian, had never before entered. We were both curious and skeptical. All of our lives we had lived in what the prophets called the "natural world", so for them, we were outsiders, visitors in this other, "supernatural world."
We want the viewer to experience this unfamiliar world of the supernatural and reflect upon it. But rather than take a strong position for or against the prophetic movement, we wanted to let the viewer experience this realm for him or herself. Our intent was to provide the audience with a deeper understanding of what they were viewing. At the same time it is only fair to say that our personal experiences provided something of a filter; the scenes chosen, the edits that gave the film structure, the sound bites were influenced by our own personal histories and beliefs. As much as we were confronted with the world of these fundamental evangelicals, we ourselves were challenged to look at our own fundamentals in the making of this film. Without overtly over editorializing the prophetic movement, we feel this filter is a reflection of the critical distance that we established in the making of Prophets Rising.
Early on we decided not to introduce outside voices, no experts, critics or disgruntled ex-followers. The challenge then was to find our own voice. This was accomplished by employing what we call a Greek chorus or "musings." We wanted to hover above the action and reflect on what we were seeing, sometimes adding to the action while at other times, simply ruminating on it. It was important to us to keep these musings subtle rather than hit people over the head with our personal opinions. So we introduced wry humor and a bit of cynicism at times but never explicit criticism. Our intent was to create tension, a certain degree of discomfort or what we describe as a holy roller coaster ride: the viewer is simultaneously challenged by the fundamentalism of the prophets and their followers while at the same time feeling empathy for them.
Because the prophetic movement is based on the tenets of the ancient Christian church, the belief system is a fundamental one where all answers are to be found in the Bible. There is no questioning this black and white world. But when confronted with the cancers of two of our prophets, James and Michal Ann Goll, we were curious if this could lead them beyond their own fundamentals. Can there be a place where answers elude us, where the possibilities are infinite? This is where mystery suddenly entered the scene. Everything seemed to blur into a grey area with no clear-cut answers.
For us, in the end, there were no answers. We wanted to throw the fundamentals to the wind - what happens when dogma is stripped away. What would then lead us to a higher realm? Is there a middle ground where we all can meet?
We leave the viewer with this question to ponder, hoping this will create plenty of ammunition for both sides. After all, aren't the best documentaries the ones that make you think?
Jane Pittman
Director
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