Ironically, the director’s initial skepticism made him an ideal witness to the power and effectiveness of the polarizing speaker. Even today he admits there are elements of Date with Destiny that made him uncomfortable: “I could [have done] with less music [...] and less group hugs.” As a result, I Am Not Your Guru seeks neither to defend nor debunk Robbins. In Berlinger’s own words, it seeks to be “immersive,” to “drop you into that world.”
And it does that brilliantly, condensing 6 12-hour work days into a “concert film” that gives viewers a glimpse at Robbins’s interventions, admonitions, and, yes (at times) manipulations. The film is honest about the use of music and mass psychology to sway the seminar members into a more pliable state. On day one, Robbins practically pleads with the audience to be loud and keep their “energy” up. When he instructs one woman seeking guidance to pull out her phone and break up with her boyfriend on the spot, Robbins co-opts the crowd when she hesitates. Berlinger’s camera periodically cuts to the sound board technician to remind us that Date with Destiny is a production as well as a workshop. The cameras also take us to morning meetings where Robbins appears to have volunteers culling from share-sessions to give him a better idea of who to choose to interact with one-on-one.
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