Soldiers of Light | WATCH DOCS

Known online as Mr. Raw, the central figure in Johannes Büttner and Julian Vogel’s film is David, an extremist right-wing influencer who presents himself as a vegan nutritionist and health guru. His worldview turns on a total rejection of modern medicine and an unwavering belief in his own authority. Yet online, he finds eager followers willing to buy his “supplements” and even join the self-styled “community” he leads. The filmmakers gained rare access to this hermetic domain where radical New Age mysticism fuses with far-right ideology. Among those appearing is Peter Fitzek, the self-proclaimed “King of Germany,” arrested earlier this year for rejecting the authority of the federal state. “Soldiers of Light” lays bare the inner workings of such movements; the Ponzi schemes built on manipulation, blind faith, and the exploitation of followers. Ultimately, it is the devotees who pay the highest price for their misplaced trust.

Konrad Wirkowski