When Gabe Polsky pitched his latest documentary, “The Man Who Saves the World?” to the major streamers, they weren’t interested.
“I made a sizzle and took it to all the usual suspects,” Polsky says. “For them, it felt like it was just too far out.”
Revolving around Patrick McCollum, a 75-year-old eccentric peace activist who believes he has been chosen by an ancient prophecy to help unite the Indigenous tribes of South America to save the Amazon and the planet from environmental ruin, the 85-minute film is undeniably surreal. Even Polsky was initially skeptical of McCollum, a jack-of-all-trades ordained chaplain who, prior to facilitating peace in countries around the world, served as a prison chaplain to both Charles Manson and the Menendez brothers and designed jewelry for members of the British royal family.
Producer Doug DeLuca introduced Polsky to McCollum in 2023.
“Doug knows some wacky people in this world, and he said, ‘Look. I heard this story. It’s really crazy, but I think maybe you should get on the phone and listen and hear this guy out,” Polsky says. “I did, and right away, I was like this guy is crazy.”
Despite his initial hesitations, Polsky (“Red Army”) ultimately decided to follow McCollum as he attempted to fulfill the prophecy.
“I really had nothing to lose except my time,” Polsky says.
The director appears in the doc and often voices his skepticism, which creates a push-and-pull dynamic between him and McCollum. Just when Polsky is finding it impossible not to feel like he’s part of a lunatic’s sham, Jane Goodall appears.
“I can honestly say Patrick is one of the most extraordinary and inspirational people I have had the good fortune to know and count as a true friend,” Goodall says in the film.
“Jane was an absolute game changer,” Polsky says. “I knew that it would be very difficult for this film to work if I didn’t have her because his story’s so unbelievable.”
To say that “The Man Who Saves the World?” is funny is an understatement. It’s a hilarious character study that tackles environmental issues. But despite being that rare doc that combines humor with urgency, Polasky’s inability to find a mainstream distributor has made it hard to find an audience for the film. So, the director asked a few Hollywood heavyweights, including Peter Farrelly, Danny McBride and David Gordon Green, to help get the word out about his doc by signing on as executive producers.
“Danny and I were watching cuts and saying, this is awesome. How do we find a home for this doc, knowing that there’s a unique spirit and eccentric quality to it that doesn’t necessarily check the box of your average film festival depressing doc,” says Green. “It’s something different, and that’s what our company ends up just loving to support.”
McBride said that his and Green’s Rough House Pictures, which executive produced the 2023 HBO doc “Telemarketers,” try to champion filmmakers with voices that they believe in.
“If weirdly our involvement can help them reach a larger audience, it feels like it’s our duty to participate and lend a hand wherever we can,” says McBride.
In July, Area 23a, the company known for distributing the 2019 doc “Fantastic Fungi,” signed on to do a hybrid, experience based release of “The Man Who Saves the World?” across the country in cities including Portland and Seattle. On Oct. 17, the film kicked off an awards-qualifying theatrical run in Los Angeles.
“The documentary is a great journey and it’s hopeful,” says Farrelly. “That is the main reason I wanted to be involved with this film. It’s such a hopeful vision, and that’s what we need right now.”
“The Man Who Saves the World?” is now playing in limited release in theaters, starting with New York. The film will expand to additional markets in November with theatrical runs in Chicago and Orlando and major theatrical events in Minneapolis and Charleston.
