Trust Me: The False Prophet Review: In this harrowing documentary series, cult expert Christine and her husband Tolga dive deep into an offshoot sect of the FLDS (Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) church headed by Sam Bateman, hoping to save the women under his control from being further abused.
Trust Me: The False Prophet Series Director
Rachel Dretzin
Trust Me: The False Prophet Netflix Cast
Christine Marie, Tolga Katas
The series has 4 episodes, each with a runtime of approximately 50 minutes.
Trust Me: The False Prophet Review
In a rather explosive and very, very disturbing turn of events, Trust Me: The False Prophet has been released today on Netflix, bringing with it another discussion on the FLDS (Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) Church, or, rather, an offshoot of Warren Jeff’s sect after he was sent to prison for raping minors, headed by Sam Bateman.
The series, as you might expect from documentaries on cults like the FLDS that practice polygamy and child marriage, is a disturbing reminder of how easy it is to brainwash and abuse vulnerable people and why stricter action needs to be taken against people like Bateman, Jeffs, etc. It follows cult expert Christine and her husband Tolga, who infiltrate Bateman’s inner circle in Short Creek, Utah, to find a way to help the helpless women who were being exploited by him.
The series raises the stakes ever so slightly at every given opportunity, making you feel disgusted as we get deeper into Bateman’s mind and his family. The unending number of women and young girls, how he “obtained” them and his saviour complex all come together to create a disturbing watch that truly stays with you long after the series ends.
At the centre of this mess is Samuel Bateman, a delusional megalomaniac who will stop at nothing before getting as many wives as possible, regardless of their age. He’s clearly incompetent, but the fact that so many people, men, women and children included, would take his words at face value and let him do what he wanted is sad and heartbreaking. He abused vulnerable minors for his own gain and weaponised faith to control them. It’s truly a disgusting showcase of the lengths people will go to to feel an ounce of power.
Trust Me: The False Prophet does a great job of showcasing this entire incident with a compassionate lens, thanks mostly to Christina, who comes off as a rather nice individual. You feel scared for the women who are too brainwashed to understand what’s happening, and that empathy stays deep within the series’s storytelling from start to finish. We are never given the impression that the women were ever fools, but rather, they are shown to be victims of a selfish man on a power trip.
The deeper I got into the episodes, the more I felt breathless thinking about the extent of Bateman’s manipulation and crimes. Some of his “wives” were younger than 10 years old, and he could do whatever he pleased with them – a thought that stayed with me after the episodes concluded. It’s so harrowing, and you are left to wonder about the resilience of those who are in this situation and have no way of getting out.
The documentary doesn’t spend any time presenting fluff but, rather, focuses on the facts and sticks to them. It’s very well done, and the footage that Christine and Tolga were able to get their hands on through their interactions with Bateman creates the most impact in the documentary. The information is presented in a way that is easy to understand, follow and absorb, leaving us to reel with the aftermath of it.
Final Thoughts
Trust Me: The False Prophet brings forth the problems of religions that force their followers to be obedient to other people and don’t uphold free thinking and choices. It’s a harrowing and truly terrifying watch that will make your skin crawl. Overall, viewers will find themselves hooked to its 4 episodes as Christina and Tolga push their disgust away to save the women forced into submission by an opportunistic and power-hungry man.
What are your thoughts on Trust Me: The False Prophet? Let us know in the comments below!
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I question the validity of the series…how incompetent can all the agencies be? Group home, kids get a phone? No protective orders? He’s allowed to contact them? If it’s true, very sloppy!