Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God is a 2023 television documentary series directed and produced by Hannah Olson. It explores the life and death of Amy Carlson, the leader of Love Has Won.
| Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God | |
|---|---|
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| Genre | Documentary |
| Directed by | Hannah Olson |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 3 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Cinematography | Christopher Messina |
| Editors |
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| Running time | 53-58 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | HBO |
| Release | November 13 – November 27, 2023 |
It premiered November 13, 2023, on HBO.
Premise
editExplores the life and death of Amy Carlson, the leader of Love Has Won.[1]
Episodes
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Episode One" | Hannah Olson | November 13, 2023 |
| 2 | "Episode Two" | Hannah Olson | November 20, 2023 |
| 3 | "Episode Three" | Hannah Olson | November 27, 2023 |
Production
editFollowing the 2016 United States presidential election, Hannah Olson had become interested in the rise of conspiratorial thinking, including followers of Donald Trump.[2] Olson was introduced to Love Has Won and Amy Carlson by a New Age scholar at University of Texas at Austin, wondering how Carlson went from a McDonald's manager to a cult leader.[3][4] Olson approached followers of Carlson with empathy and curiosity, interested primarily in the systematic and social factors that led them to Love Has Won.[5]
Production on the series commenced three weeks after the discovery of Carlson's body, with interviews of followers of Love Has Won, and review of thousands of hours of footage from livestreams.[6] Olson did not want to platform the group's more harmful beliefs, only briefly including some of the group's conspiratorial ideology without commentary.[7] Instead of including experts, Olson chose to let members tell the story, in order to immerse the audience.[8]
In June 2021, it was announced Olson would direct a documentary series revolving around Love Has Won for HBO.[9] The Safdie brothers, Josh and Benny, serve as executive producers.[1]
Reception
editOn the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 5 critics' reviews are positive.[10]
Judy Berman of Time wrote: "In sticking close to Carlson’s family and the inner circle, Olson achieves something that has proven impossible for documentarians telling the stories of cults, NXIVM, the Manson Family, and now Twin Flames Universe—that caused more profound, widespread damage: she makes the appeal of Mother God’s largely unhinged worldview legible."[11] Nick Schager of The Daily Beast wrote: "Offers an unvarnished peek inside this insular community, demonstrating people’s stunning capacity for concocting and embracing ridiculous ideas as a way of coping with unhappiness and trauma."[12]
References
edit- ^ a b Hanson, Hayley (November 8, 2023). "HBO Original Documentary Series Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God Debuts November 13" (Press release). Warner Bros. Discovery. Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ Borden, Jane (November 14, 2023). "Mother God, Robin Williams, and Alcohol as Medicine: Inside Love Has Won". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
- ^ Whittle, Andrea (December 1, 2023). "Director Hannah Olson on the Making of Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God". W. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
- ^ Medlen, D.R. (November 27, 2023). "How the Internet Helped Fuel the Mother God Cult". The Mary Sue. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
- ^ Blake, Meredith (November 28, 2023). "HBO's 'Love Has Won' shows how cult leader Amy Carlson went from McDonald's manager to mummy". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
- ^ Guy, Zoe (November 8, 2023). "God Was a Livestreamer". Vulture. Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
- ^ Morfoot, Addie (December 8, 2023). "'Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God' Director Answers Burning Questions: Why She Didn't Emphasize QAnon Propaganda — and How She Incorporated Amy Carlson's Corpse". Variety. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
- ^ McLachlan, Megan (December 5, 2023). "'Love Has Won' Director Hannah Olson On Finding Empathy in Amy Carlson, How The HBO Doc Depicts the Death of the American Dream". Awards Daily. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
- ^ Petski, Denise (June 11, 2021). "HBO Greenlights 'Love Has Won' Docuseries Directed By 'Baby God' Helmer Hannah Olson". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 11, 2021. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ "Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
- ^ Berman, Judy (November 13, 2023). "Love Has Won Is the Rare Cult Doc That Leads With Empathy". Time. Archived from the original on November 13, 2023. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
- ^ Schager, Nick (November 12, 2023) [November 11, 2023]. "Drugs, QAnon, and Mummified Corpses: This Cult Doc Has Everything". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on November 19, 2023. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
