| 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 (2023-11-13) – November 27, 2023 (2023-11-27) |
Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God is a 2023television documentary series directed and produced byHannah Olson. It explores the life and death ofAmy Carlson, the leader ofLove Has Won.
It premiered November 13, 2023, onHBO.
Explores the life and death ofAmy Carlson, the leader ofLove Has Won.[1]
| No. | Title | Directed by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Episode One" | Hannah Olson | November 13, 2023 (2023-11-13) |
| 2 | "Episode Two" | Hannah Olson | November 20, 2023 (2023-11-20) |
| 3 | "Episode Three" | Hannah Olson | November 27, 2023 (2023-11-27) |
Following the2016 United States presidential election,Hannah Olson had become interested in the rise of conspiratorial thinking, including followers ofDonald Trump.[2] Olson was introduced toLove Has Won and Amy Carlson by aNew Age scholar atUniversity of Texas at Austin, wondering how Carlson went from aMcDonald's manager to a cult leader.[3][4] Olson approached followers of Carlson with empathy and curiosity, interested primarily in the systemic 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 forHBO.[9] TheSafdie brothers, Josh and Benny, serve as executive producers.[1]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 100% of 7 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.0/10.[10]
Judy Berman ofTime 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, theManson Family, and nowTwin Flames Universe—that caused more profound, widespread damage: she makes the appeal of Mother God’s largely unhinged worldview legible."[11] Nick Schager ofThe 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]
