Carter Haskins

Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru (2016)

April 24th, 2023

It seems that the majority of discussion surrounding this one is regarding Robbins himself and yes, he is for sure a monster, and yes, Berlinger’s place here is confusing. What I’ve gathered from his past work wouldn’t indicate, to me at least, a man who would fall for such an obvious and evil schtick as what Robbins has going. Yet he seems not only fascinated but truly engaged with and believing in everything Robbins has to say. I’m honestly not sure if this is the sign of a great documentarian or just a man falling for a scheme and creating something as entrancing as this as a result.

Watching Robbins work is so intriguing. Seeing a Belfort-level scam artist work under the guise of saving lives is so terrifying to witness, these thousands of extremely vulnerable people (some sold all of their belongings to be able to afford the seminar) putting their lives in the hands of one man brings Jim Jones to mind. A modern day People’s Temple, and Joe Berlinger is there to document it all. Let’s just hope he’s here to chronicle the fallout.