The Vow review – unsettling Nxivm cult series burrows under your skin A nine-hour docuseries on the appeal and deep psychological manipulation of … It just takes a few episodes to get there. So buy self-help books if you’d like; some of the best are genuinely useful. Rating: Watch when on TV/online. Keith Raniere spends a lot of time in “The Wound” talking about f*cking things. As evidenced by The Vow, being forced into a clean-slate courtship is a great way to cure mid-marriage malaise. But as the personalities of the series’s key participants come into focus, the narrative momentum becomes irresistible. Today I had the opportunity to see a preview of The Vow with my wife. The Vow’ s vow is broken. It’s the background music – the piano interspersed with a part cheerful, part morose violin set. Even as they bravely fight for justice for Raniere’s victims, they struggle with a painful array of things they wish they’d done differently. The Vow is particularly compelling in outlining the various methods that NXIVM used to break down these women, which included the sinister strategy of … They know how easily complicated stories can get condensed into the shorthand of headlines. The most clichéd bit of The Vow isn’t the lead pair, the plot or even the look of the film. The Vow benefits from access to people like Vicente and Edmondson, plus lots of footage from various NXIVM organizational videos, meetings, and other insightful stuff. In one of the series’s most chilling moments, we see Raniere and Mack chatting at one of the group’s late-night volleyball games. “The Vow” creative team, led by the directors Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer, had plenty of raw material to work with. Review: ‘The Vow’ Follows Nxivm Down Dark, Damaging Paths The HBO documentary series delves into the toxic group that has been widely described as … The viewer becomes a fly on the wall as the filmmakers follow a group of anti-Nxivm campaigners, including Edmondson, Vicente and the actresses Catherine Oxenberg and Bonnie Piesse, who implore the authorities and the media — including The Times — to do something about Raniere and his secretive inner circle. Film critic Chris Stuckmann reviews The Vow, starring Channing Tatum, Rachel McAdams, Scott Speedman, Jessica McNamee, Jessica Lange and Sam Neill. What is the path back for those who participate in — or look away from — abuse? Nobody. It occasionally also feels like a juicy soap opera, with glimpses into the lives of wealthy heiresses and the haunting rituals of a secret society. Nobody joins a cult! Though Mack is not interviewed, her adoration for Raniere can be seen in excerpts from glossy Nxivm promotional videos, and her descent into abject, destructive devotion is both tragic and fascinating. We don’t have to rely on the commentary from former members to see what Raniere was selling, and how much others helped him promulgate sexist mind-sets and increasingly deranged formulations of abuse as love. Members of the group appear to have documented nearly every conversation they had with each other and with Raniere during the past two decades, and many Nxivm seminars were also recorded. The Vow, stripped of its real-life Christian core, is still a moving recitation of love in action, romance under fire and the gallantry of a man who would even give up his own heart for the sake of his girl. Please enter your email address and we will email you a new password. (In Raniere’s trial, his attorneys said his sexual encounters with his followers were consensual.) Sarah Edmondson is among the former members of Nxivm who appear in “The Vow,” a nine-part documentary series debuting Sunday on HBO. February 9, 2012. By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy Share; Tweet; I t’s too bad every complacent couple can’t have one spouse lose all memory of the other. The Average Tomatometer is the sum of all season scores divided by the number of seasons with a Tomatometer. If you’ve heard only one thing about Nxivm, which billed itself as a self-help organization but led many participants down dark and damaging paths, it’s probably that its leader, Keith Raniere, coerced women in the group to have sex with him — most coverage of the group has referred to it as a “sex cult.” If you’ve heard two things, the other fact is likely that some women were put through a terrifying ceremony in which Raniere’s initials were branded onto their bodies. And yet the story loses something in translation. The more we discover about the story, indeed, the nicer a … The Vow - Review. The Vow is a gripping NXIVM exposé: Review The immersive HBO documentary takes viewers inside Keith Raniere's sinister "self-help" group NXIVM. This recap of The Vow season 1, episode 8, “The Wound”, contains spoilers. You can check out our thoughts on the previous episode by clicking these words. For survivors of Raniere’s alleged patterns of financial and emotional abuse — which reach back at least three decades — the path toward healing and potential redemption often involves trying to undo the work they did for “Vanguard” and his lieutenants. The Vow ’s name originates from a sub-group of NXIVM, called Dominus Obsequious Sororium or DOS. When unexpected complications arise right before the opening of their store, Melody makes a journey to Oklahoma to try to fix the problem. Mostly he means women, but you get the sense it could be anyone or anything in his general vicinity. The website's critical consensus reads, "Though The Vow ' s scope at times exceeds its reach, its empathetic approach to unpacking NXIVM's manipulations and the consequences therein make for necessary, difficult viewing." But there is no secret, of course, and as is so often the case, the man behind the curtain is a petty, angry, manipulative mess. You know, the one that powerful forces are keeping secret from you. Lawmakers to investigate whether a lack of preparedness allowed a mob to occupy and vandalise the building. The Vow season 1, episode 9 recap - "The Fall" is a finale in name only, too aware of an upcoming second season to truly try and figure out what all this means to the people involved -- and more importantly who's truly culpable for it. All this critic's reviews Read full review Everyone involved in the nine-part documentary series “The Vow,” which chronicles the twisted saga of Nxivm, seems pretty media savvy. The Vow, a nine-part docuseries directed by Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer, documents the NXIVM (pronounced “Nixium”) organization, how Raniere and … Given the outlandish and bewildering nature of the allegations made against NXIVM, the New York-based "self-help group" co-founded by Keith Raniere and Nancy Salzman in 1998 that … The Vow drops three huge bombs in this episode that are somehow never returned to. The Vow finds Lakota now a Bounty Hunter and Melody opening up a brick and mortar store with her best friend Hope, Lakota's little sister. A look at NXIVM, a self-improvement group and multi-level marketing company that disintegrated with criminal charges brought against its highest members. I am giving this book 3.5 Stars Thank You to NetGalley, Author Debbie Howells and Avon Books UK for my advanced copy of The Vow, in exchange for my review #TakeTheVow #NetGalley each) opens, we get to know Keith Raniere, who talks about "optimizing people's experience and behavior". Some top-level adherents, including Allison Mack, the former “Smallville” actress, and Clare Bronfman, an heiress to the Seagram liquor fortune, have struck plea deals and await sentencing. The Vow starts off two weeks before a wedding is to happen, and stays interesting all the way along A story about a double life, missing people and just so much more! This immediately changes to a peppy pop song when the couple is all romantic and in love. Raniere deftly manipulates her deepest vulnerabilities — they involve art, repression and emotion — and it’s as if the rabbit hole she is about to fall down takes shape before our eyes. Published. There she unexpected encounters Lakota while he is undercover. What’s so chilling about The Vow — HBO’s immersive new docuseries about NXIVM, the New York-based “self-help group” brought down by charges of sexual slavery — is how vividly it illustrates the seductive and insidious ways these groups lure intelligent, well-meaning people into servitude. “The Vow” illustrates how seemingly bright, capable people ended up enmeshed in the organization. The percentage of users who rated this 3.5 stars or higher. Keith Raniere, here in 2009, was convicted last year of multiple felonies including racketeering and sex trafficking. (Oxenberg’s daughter India was deeply involved in Nxivm — the group attracted quite a few Hollywood folks — and Catherine’s pain and relentless energy are affecting.). There’s a lot of talk these days about the concept of restorative justice as a means of atoning for damage done, and the ex-Nxivm folks at the core of “The Vow” show what that idea looks like in action. At one point in the eighth episode, a former Nxivm member, Sarah Edmondson, jokes that a scar-healing cream should give her a sponsorship deal. According to a lawsuit filed by former followers, Nxivm was also an enormous pyramid scheme that bilked its members out of millions of dollars. 9 years ago. Don't have an account? US legislators vow to investigate police after breach of Capitol. Photo: Screen Gems. It uses the viewer’s curiosity about branding and sex cults to tell a valuable and engrossing tale about gullibility, trust and the human desire to put one’s faith in a leader who promises the real Answer. A look at NXIVM, a self-improvement group and multi-level marketing company that disintegrated with criminal charges brought against its highest members. Get the freshest reviews, news, and more delivered right to your inbox! We both enjoyed the movie, her a little more than me. The HBO documentary series delves into the toxic group that has been widely described as a “sex cult.” But that only scratches the surface. The third and fourth episodes of The Vow do give viewers sensational details about the blackmail, sexual slavery, and bizarre “master/slave” dynamics of the group’s women-only inner circle, DOS. Therefore not entirely predictable. The Vow is set in the Magiverse, which means that I was familiar with the universe and some of the side characters as I started listening. I was very surprised to learn that this movie is based on actual events, perhaps this was why it was not just another amnesia movie. (Its most reasonable teachings, at first glance, have an appealing TED Talk earnestness.) R. Kurt Osenlund. and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and Fandango. But before you hand over your credit card — or life — to someone peddling a very expensive solution to life’s difficulties, think twice. As Mark Vicente, one of many appealing, complicated Nxivm refugees who appear in the series, put it: “We’re not [expletive], strange monsters that made bad choices our whole life. By then, after the series had offered ample evidence of the rampant misogyny and corrosive narcissism Edmondson and other Raniere followers experienced, she had more than earned that brief display of levity. “The Vow” isn’t flawless. By. Raniere, a floppy-haired former businessman who insisted that people call him “Vanguard,” told seminar attendees that through “data and facts,” he and his instructors could help them push past the fears and limitations holding them back. on. Unfortunately for Jane (and the rest of us), life tends to resist universal moral formulations, let alone the “scientific” answers Raniere sold. Paige (Rachel McAdams) and Leo (Channing Tatum) are happily married newlyweds, but their idyllic life together suddenly shatters when a car accident leaves her in a coma. Review: The Vow. It is completely possible to start this novel without having read or listened to any other books set in this universe, though. In Latin, it’s direct translation would be “Master over Slave Women.” Sidney Poitier’s 7 Most Memorable Performances, All Harry Potter Movies Ranked Worst to Best by Tomatometer. -- it just won't quit. Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2020 As Episodes 1 of "The Vow" (2020 release; 9 episodes of about 55-60 min. ‘The Vow’ Review: HBO’s Documentary on the NXIVM Cult Takes Its Time "The Vow" should inspire conversation. Copyright © Fandango. What consequences is society willing to dish out when a storyteller with a committed following — in politics, in the arts, in self-help realms or anywhere else — is revealed to be a charismatic predator or canny charlatan? The Vow By Lisa Schwarzbaum Updated February 21, 2012 at 05:00 AM EST Last year, Raniere was convicted of multiple felonies including racketeering and sex trafficking. A series gets an Average Tomatometer when at least 50 percent of its seasons have a score. The show takes a deep look at the experiences of many of the group's participants, spotlighting their universal desire for personal growth and their internal conflicts over events as they unfold. The early episodes focus on how adherents were drawn in by Nxivm’s superficial resemblance to other self-help philosophies, then the documentary evolves into something of a slow-burn thriller. Ultimately, “The Vow” is an impressive and even transfixing achievement. All rights reserved. On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 80% based on 25 reviews, with an average rating of 7.56/10. There had been negative coverage of Nxivm in the past, but everything began to go awry for the group in 2017, when The New York Times reported on the branding ceremonies and other disturbing allegations about Raniere and his most loyal acolytes. The Vow is the higher-profile of the two, and benefits greatly from the participation of several former NXIVM members, including Mark Vicente, … “The Fall,” episode 9 of “The Vow,” ends with hints that the pair will go on camera, or at least on the record, with “Vow” directors/executive producers Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer. And watch “The Vow.”, Review: ‘The Vow’ Follows Nxivm Down Dark, Damaging Paths. THE VOW wants so badly for audiences to care, and that's one of its biggest flaws: It tries too hard. With Anthony Ames, Sarah Edmondson, Bonnie Piesse, Mark Vicente. By Kristen Baldwin Heading into finale endgame, The Vow makes the claim that the poison that destroyed NXIVM at the root was plain old endemic misogyny on the part of … Where’s the line between coercion and independence? From the drama-heavy set-up to the ponderous dialogue -- which repeatedly reminds viewers that a) Tatum's character is such a good guy and b) Paige can't remember him, and how deeply tragic is that? "The Vow" is more of a sweet date movie for Valentine's Day; the women can identify with this poor Paige who belongs with the handsome Leo, and the guys can think that Rachel McAdams has just about the sweetest smile since Marisa Tomei. The struggles seemed a little abbreviated, but genuine. “I wanted to believe that he was good,” a former Nxivm adherent called Jane (a pseudonym) tells the filmmakers. A look at the experiences of the members of the NXIVM, an organization and sex cult who made headlines for being charged with sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. Instead, trial testimony and court rulings have revealed, Raniere weaponized people’s secrets and insecurities so that he could exploit them emotionally and financially. As dangerous conspiracy theories rise to shocking prominence in American life, “The Vow” examines why people are so primed to fall for the kind of tempting but perilous psychological traps that skilled manipulators use to lure and catch their idealistic prey. Debuting Sunday on HBO, “The Vow” doesn’t stint on the jaw-dropping details. We didn’t join a cult. and the Terms and Policies, THE VOW investigates the history of Nxivm, a mysterious group based in Albany, New York, that sold itself as a sort of multilevel marketing company designed to encourage clients to optimize their personal success, but whose practices have resulted in federal charges of sex trafficking, racketeering, and more. Forgot your password? Freshest reviews, news, and that 's one of its seasons have a score Edmondson Bonnie... — and then they realize they were [ expletive ]. ”, Sarah Edmondson Bonnie. A Tomatometer isn ’ t the lead pair, the narrative momentum becomes irresistible stint on the Cult... 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