Movie · 2006 · Documentary · 1h 24m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 6.0/10 (63.8K ratings)
America is being born again.
Overview
A documentary on kids who attend a summer camp hoping to become the next Billy Graham.
Ratings
Curator score: 6.0/10
IMDb: 7.4/10
Letterboxd: 3.66/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
Metacritic: 62
TMDB: 7.0/10
Director
Rachel Grady, Heidi Ewing
Production
Loki Films, A&E IndieFilms
Cast
Becky Fischer, Mike Papantonio, Ted Haggard, Lou Engle
Where to watch
Philo
Curator Review
Verdict
A disturbing, sharply observed documentary that captures the intensity of evangelical youth indoctrination without needing to overstate its case. It’s compelling as a portrait of belief, performance, and political influence, and it remains one of the most talked-about nonfiction films of its era.
Best for
viewers interested in religion, politics, and American culture
fans of unsettling observational documentaries
people who like films that provoke debate and discomfort
audiences curious about evangelical subculture and media manipulation
Skip if
you want a balanced, reassuring faith documentary
you’re sensitive to scenes of children in high-pressure religious settings
you prefer documentaries with a more detached or academic tone
you avoid confrontational subject matter about religion and politics
Overview
This documentary follows children at a Pentecostal summer camp and finds a world where faith, politics, and performance are tightly intertwined. The filmmakers stay close to the action, letting the camp’s rituals, sermons, and training sessions speak for themselves, which makes the film feel both intimate and alarming.
Worth noting
What lingers is not just the extremity of the beliefs, but the sincerity of the people inside them. The film is strongest when it shows how early identity is shaped through repetition, fear, and emotional spectacle, turning a niche subculture into a broader portrait of American fundamentalism.
Bottom line
It’s an effective piece of observational nonfiction because it doesn’t need a heavy-handed argument to be unsettling. Even viewers who disagree with its perspective will likely find it hard to look away from the conviction on display, and from the uneasy questions it raises about childhood, authority, and ideology.
Top Letterboxd reviews
paul (4★) · 1183 likes
My kids go to a church school, we often attend church. This involves making tea for old ladies, eating cake and the kids doing some colouring.
What it doesn't do is involve screaming, speaking in tongues and wanting to kill Harry Potter for being a Warlock.
Holy fucking shit.
DirkH (3★) · 1072 likes
There is nothing scarier than the human race.
Leticia Fernandes (4★) · 957 likes
Oh boy where do I even start...
- tell me who is in the house? JC- "I pray on this power point presentation"- I'm at least 90% sure that this Becky lady has killed people in the past in the name of Jesus.... - The kid who was "saved" at age 5???????- The girl who makes sure she's dancing for jesus and not the flesh?????- WARLOCKS ARE ENEMIES OF GOD AND I DON'T CARE WHAT KIND… more
Kurdt (3.5★) · 629 likes
During this documentary we see a kid praying to her bowling ball, people praying to powerpoint presentations, a pastor using store bought bottled water as holy water, and hundreds of kids speaking tongues in front of a life-size cut-out of George W.Bush. And these are probably the lightest parts of the film.
Utterly horrifying.
Mr. DuLac (3.5★) · 591 likes
George W. Bush... he has really brought some real credibility... um... to the Christian faith.-Becky Fischer
One of the scariest films I've ever seen.