One has to wonder what Miguel de Cervantes would make of Patrick McCullum. As we meet Patrick at the start of Gabe Polsky’s documentary THE MAN WHO SAVES THE WORLD?, we aren’t quite sure what to make of him. And, frankly, filmmaker Polsky isn’t sure either.
Is Patrick, a self-proclaimed healer and mystic, truly the person who will fulfill a prophecy and bring unity and protection to the indigenous people of the Amazon? Or, like the hero of Cervantes’s novel Don Quixote, is he just a crazy kook tilting at windmills?
With filmmaker Polsky as our Sancho Panza, and with a question mark hanging at the end of the film’s title, we are along for the ride as we try to figure out whether Patrick – or anyone else – can truly save the world.
By the nature of the word, we have come to expect that documentaries will deal in certainty. But THE MAN WHO SAVES THE WORLD? reminds us that sometimes, it pays to recognize and respect that there are things we don’t — or perhaps can’t — fully know.
The film also features an appearance by Dr. Jane Goodall, whose lifelong commitment to compassion, science, and the natural world continues to inspire generations. In light of her recent passing, we honor her extraordinary life and the wisdom she shared with such grace — both in this film and throughout her remarkable journey.
To learn more about this fascinating film, join us for our conversation with Gabe Polsky on INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE, starting now.
