Roughly chronological, from 3/96 to 11/96, with a coda in spring of 1997: inside compounds of Aum Shinrikyo, a Buddhist sect led by Shoko Asahara. (Members confessed to a murderous sarin attack in the Tokyo subway in 1995.) We see what they eat, where they sleep, and how they respond to media scrutiny, on-going trials, the shrinking of their fortunes, and the criticism of society. Central focus is placed on Hiroshi Araki, a young man who finds himself elevated to chief spokesman for Aum after its leaders are arrested. Araki faces extreme hostility from the Japanese public, who find it hard to believe that most followers of the cult had no idea of the attacks and even harder to understand why these followers remain devoted to the religion, if not the violence.
September 9, 1998
1 person
Hiroshi Araki
Himself
Acting
2024
2008
2017
2026
2026
2026
2025
2024
2020
1991
2023
2015
2019
2018
2007
2007
2018
2018
2020
2013
2013
1999
2024
1974
2019
2017
2026
2002
2025
2022
2025
2015
2020
1977
2011
2014
2024
