"Hail Satan?"
A documentary about the fight for your religion to be acknowledge (regardless of your faith).
From the opening moments of the documentary, you get a sense of these guys who founded the Satanic Temple a bit "off" by dressing up like a Maleficent fan boy but when the reason behind the creation of the temple begins to take shape, you cannot help but root for them in their efforts to make religious representation equal across the board and not just centralized to "Christianity."
The film takes place a few years ago at the very inception of the Temple and goes up to 2018 and the film clearly gives you actual examples of government officials using their platform to single out "Christianity" as the sole religion of America which is clearly a dangerous ethos in today's society. You get a clear view of the struggle the main group faced to get their message across and how easily most people misunderstood their message for various reasons (whether it is because they were afraid the Temple's appearance, reaping the benefits of the lack of Separation Between Church and State in today's political air, or the "Religious Right's" fear of having any other faith denounce their own in the United States).
The film does a great job of explaining to the view the "why" the members of the Temple would put themselves in these awkward situations but also they display how easily their efforts can turn more radical and go beyond what the group's true intentions are. Just like all "faiths" there will always be a pinch of radicalism/extremism that if left unchecked would spoil the entire message. So to see that even within the Temple, there are challenges is a refreshing to see because it also paints them as a flawed religion as well, in reality what religion is "perfect."
Direct Penny Lane really captured the beginning and one of the high points in the groups life to fight for the Separation of Church and State, religious freedoms, and political hypocrisy. If you are politically motivated today due to the current climate, this documentary will not only fuel your fire but also help you understand/prepare for the type of fight you would/could have because of the faded line that has made "Christianity" such a powerful entity in politics that never should have been.
Available now on most streaming platforms and available on DVD.