Audience Of One
Directed by Mike Jacobs
May 8-14 at Anthology Film Archives

At the ripe age of 40, San Francisco Pastor Richard Gazowsky saw his first movie ever: The Lion King. Maybe so overwhelmed and inspired by the circle of life, the pastor saw a vision of a million-dollar sci-fi biblical epic to redefine sci-fi biblical epics—and Hollywood. While such a genre may not really exist, Gazowsky believes that he will impress his one audience member, God, by creating a $50-million futuristic Star Wars version of the story of Joseph to be called Gravity: The Shadow of Joseph.

Gazowsky's production company, WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get), is made up of members of his congregation, with his family appointed as department heads. His daughter, the art director, reveals her secret for success: “in prayer, that’s where all my ideas come from.” This sentiment is fully embraced by the entire crew, as they spend their breaks by joining hands, sometimes convulsing, shouting, “God, you’re so good! So Awesome!”

As his first full-length feature, documentary director Michael Jacobs probably had his own vision: Gazowsky's project would be a surefire failure, but a piece of comic brilliance to document. Even after their project deeply plummeted, the pastor still instills faith in his followers, for he shares a new foresight that will soon bring them 47 films produced a year, a Christian Theme Park, an Airline and the colonization of another planet. Even for devout Christians, this should be deemed crazy. 

What's so simultaneously riveting and terrifying about the genuine characters in Audience Of One is the fact that Jacobs doesn't hold back in revealing WYSIWYG's true nature. With Jacobs' identity and personal views concealed throughout the doc, he's able to render an intimate portrait of this comic community, almost as if the documentarian himself were playing a messenger from God, sent to foresee the production.

Unless you’re a member of Gazowsky's church, however, it’s near impossible not to engage your own contemptuous mockery switch when witnessing this train wreck. Gazowsky, the director, is never once fazed by the fact that he had to sell his house and move in with his mother to pay for a film pushing him into extreme debt, crew members are constantly abandoning the set and their camera is falling apart. “God will make sure we have plenty of time to get everything done,” Gazowsky says to re-instill faith in his crew. He later compares their rehabilitated camera to Jesus’ resurrection.