2007 Athens Film Festival
'Jonestown' disturbs with truth
By Corinne Minard, Staff Writer
April 30, 2007 | 9:45 a.m.
The true story told in "Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple" becomes more than an incident from history through the disturbing recollections of those who knew Jim Jones and experienced the People's Temple.
Director Stanley Nelson's documentary is told in several parts, each section chronicling Jim Jones' life during a certain time period. It begins with his childhood, but the film gains momentum when it starts describing the creation of his church in the 1970s. Jones’ congregation builds as he promises people racial and economical equality, but instead of these things, the group is filled with physical, mental and sexual abuse. The film follows the Peoples Temple as it moves to California, and then later Guyana, South America. There, they created "Jonestown," the place that became the site of the largest mass suicide/murder in history.
The strength of the documentary lies in its ability to show the sanity that existed in the crazy chaos. Many members of the group who were not present for the incident are interviewed, and it is clear that they are not insane. Instead, the profile of a Jim Jones follower proves to be that of an intellectual, idealistic person. They talk of the joy they initially felt and the audience feels that joining this cult was not completely unreasonable. The dark side of Jones is shown when the people begin to discuss what was truly behind the Peoples Temple.
The end of the film is the most unsettling and tragic. Two survivors of the Jonestown massacre describe what they witnessed, explaining how their families died in their arms. The video and audio recordings of Jones are creepy, but it is these eyewitness accounts of this horrific event that make it real and truly disturbing.
This massacre of 909 people becomes more than something that happened in the past, thanks to this documentary; it becomes something disturbingly real. The idealism that was expressed by those in the cult is something that still exists in many and can still be exploited. “Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple” reminds the audience of this.
Visit the official site of the Athens Film Festival to find more films playing this week.
Speakeasy Rating: A
Running time: 86 minutes
Not Rated
Genre:Documentary