MONKEY ON A STICK Production Still by Dustin Rabin - 2913 May, 2024
The most terrifying film of Spooky Season 2024 is here. And the scariest thing about it is that it’s true.
Directed by Jason Lapeyre, Monkey on a Stick is a devastating doc that genuinely sends shivers down the spine. By telling the story of devotees such as Nori Muster, Monkey investigates the horrors of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). Beginning with a (semi)earnest invitation to others to experience inner peace and find meaning, ISKCON quickly devolved into an organization of corruption and fear. With crimes that range from the exploitation of women to stockpiling weapons, ISKCON’s gurus created a web of fear and abuse, covering it under the name of God.
And this Monkey isn’t playing around. With his deep dive into the Krishna world, Lapeyre also peels back the darkness within mankind. And that’s what makes Monkey so chilling. This doesn’t feel like a mere takedown of the Krisha organization. Instead, it positions itself to be the story of toxic religious leaders everywhere. Although the movement began to promote peace and love, it quickly devolved at the hands of leaders who became obsessed with money and power. Placed in the highest of positions within the organization, they felt that they could justify their actions because of their spiritual role.
“With God all things are possible, including murder,” we’re told.
In this way, Monkey is a story of corruption and control… and feels like it could happen anywhere. Subjugation of female members becomes programmed into the ideology because female devotees are told that ‘their brains are smaller’. Sexual abuse takes place at the leader’s discretion. The need for financial stability leads to ‘fundraising’ through drug smuggling. Every potential compromise that can be made is taken by men whose personal interests take precedence over genuine spirituality. These may be stories told by the Krisha organization but they are human failings that can tear down even the most genuine of spiritual leaders.
Even so, it’s also worth noting that Monkey on a Stick never turns its knives on faith itself. In the midst of its exploration of corruption and abuse at the hands of these ‘spiritual’ leaders, the film also intersperses conversations with its interviewees about the power of belief. Questions such as ‘what happens after we die’ and ‘how do we connect with God’ are shown to have meaning, even after all they’ve been through. Though the answers all differ, they also reveal a reverence for deeper spiritual inquest.
And it’s here that Monkey draws a fascinating line between religion and belief. Despite the damage that can be done at the hands of those that abuse their religious leadership, the film also understands that the conversations surrounding faith itself are a necessary part of the human experience. After everything that has happened to these men and women at the hands of the Krishnas, one wouldn’t fault these former devotees for declaring their lack of belief in spiritual realities. (In fact, most would expect them to walk away.)
But they still believe in something more.
There’s something beautiful about finding hope on the other side of trauma and, while Lapeyre doesn’t dive deeply into it, neither does he leave the viewer empty. After all, it could be very tempting for a filmmaker to focus his lens so intently on the brutality of the Krishna culture that we’re left with the supposition that religion itself is fraudulent. But Lapeyre’s invitation to share their souls of his interviewees shows that there’s still the spark of belief that fuels them.
The fact that Lapeyre balances this tension of the toxicity of religion and the potency of faith makes Monkey on a Stick something truly unique. It’s a difficult line for any film to walk yet Monkey maintains its footing. Yet, despite its beating heart of hope, one can’t deny the disturbing ways that compromise can topple any endeavour, especially spiritual ones.
Monkey on a Stick is available in theatres on Friday, October 18th, 2024.
