There's a shot of Warren Jeffs that overlays lizard eyes over him adding more to his already creepy facade. It was ridiculous but this is the kind of honest-to-goodness, unfiltered, and unabashed approach that kept us engrossed and mouths agape while watching "Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey". While this documentary wasn't perfect, it will surely leave a mark to viewers that dare enter its disturbing and real rabbit hole.
The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) has always had extreme beliefs especially when it comes to its traditions. Most controversial of these was its tradition of polygamy and a heavy-loaded patriarchal society. When its leader and prophet Rulon Jeffs dies, his son Warren Jeffs rises to take his place. But soon Warren Jeffs takes the already controversial beliefs of the groups to even greater infamy - developing a surrounding of constant fear and abuse.
Netflix has always had trouble to keep the length of its documentary series in check. Sometimes its too short and sometimes its too long. "Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey" just had the right length to keep its pacing brisk and keep our interest at a peak mostly throughout its runtime. The documentary loses some of its steam in its very last episode as the controversies, at this point, has been revealed and the trial of Warren Jeffs not as interesting as we would have expected it to be. The real reason why this documentary worked so well for us were the interviewees who detailed the life they had within the FLDS and how much changed for the worse when Warren Jeffs took the helm of the group as its prophet. Let's just say that these tales were disturbing and will leave you spooked in more ways than you could have even imagined.
We must admit though that not all interviewees had us engrossed. The interviews featuring former male members of the FLDS left a bad taste in our mouths as most of them definitely did the same illegal practices that some of victims are condemning to be abusive by design. Another thing that also had us disappointed was that the series (or the last episode) just ends too abruptly. It was as if there was more to say but the writers couldn't close it or couldn't fit the content to another full episode. At the end of the day, these issues are still minor in nature considering the actual content of "Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey". It's a harrowing tale of obedience and a thought-provoking experience to reflect and to check if we have been brainwashed into a biased state of good vs. bad.
Rating: 4 reels
Why you should watch it:
- a disturbing tale that shook us to the core time and time again
Why you shouldn't watch it:
- we felt that some of the people within this documentary, the men in particular, are as guilty as Warren Jeffs
Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey Mini Series Review: A Twisted and Horrifying Look into Religious Fervor Gone Wrong
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