WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
(aka the synopsis)
Ren is a condescending skeptic whose roommate, Lena, is a tarot card-loving, patriarchal-hating free spirit.
Lena follows the “visionary” Dr. Knowles, who has a patriarchy-toppling plan, funded by definitely-not-a-sales-pyramid-scheme.
Ren’s leather-jacketed enlightenment guru, Harriet, can literally glow gold and make the stars dance… all for a steep monthly fee.
But Lena's habit of bringing recruits home for sex -- and her flirty advances toward Ren -- conflict with his spiritually celibate lifestyle.
And it doesn’t help that he’s falling for her.
When they realize that the other is under cult mind control, their crusade to rescue each other begins!
The Enlightenment Fraud of Zen Master Rama
documentary, featuring Jim. 1.4 million views
Meet Jim (Writer/Director), who appears to be very important on a film set.
INSPIRED BY JIM’S F’d-UP TRUE STORY
At 19, and too young to recognize the red flags, Writer/Director Jim Picariello came to believe that a white guy calling himself Zen Master Rama was an incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu. While cult mind control and hypnotic trances gave him miraculous, seeing-is-believing visions, they also compelled him to quit college, leave his fiancée, develop new OCD behaviors, and abandon the ability to question his beliefs. Thankfully, friends and family intervened, pulling him back to reality before he could move away to disappear into the cult for good.
After 30 years of public speaking and interviews with dozens of media outlets, documentaries, and podcasts, he now manages publishing and counseling services for Dr. Steven Hassan, the world’s leading authority on cults, where Jim witnesses daily the devastation families face.
As an award-winning filmmaker, Jim blends lived experience, professional insight, and dark comedy to reveal how manipulation works, how to recognize it —and why no one is immune.
Our Team (So Far)
