The first five or so minutes of Let’s Start A Cult, directed by Ben Kitnick, give off strong Love Flower vibes. That film is populated solely by the worst people, so much so that I actively questioned why anyone would want to spend time with them (don’t worry, the filmmakers loved it so much they put it into the trailer; seriously). But co-writers Kitnick, Wes Haney, and Stavros Halkias wisely play up the lead’s obnoxiousness to make salient points about humans’ need for connection.
“…the cult leader and the man who seems to be good at nothing…hit the road to find wayward misfits…”
Chip (Halkias) cannot take anything seriously, including dinner time, where he shows his balls to the person sitting next to him. His antics drive cult leader William (Haney) up the wall, and the other cult members also cannot stand him. So William sends Chip on an errand while he and the cult members “transcend” (drink the Kool-Aid, so to speak). Upon returning, Chip is distraught to come back and find his friends dead but is even more bummed out about having to move home.
However, Chip’s fortunes change upon discovering William is alive and well. William convinces Chip that he died but was brought back to life to retrieve him. With that, Chip believes they need to start another cult and properly transcend this time. So, the cult leader and the man who seems to be good at nothing, not even delivering parcels, hit the road to find wayward misfits who can be charmed into doing William’s bidding. They recruit Diane (Katy Fullan), Jim (Daniel Simonsen), and Tyler (Eric Rahill), who all feel lost and as if they don’t belong anywhere. Can Chip find himself amongst his new friends, or will the nature of being a cultist’s lackey finally push him too far?
"…make[s] salient points about humans' need for connection."
