Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru

More than two thousand people attend a six-day seminar called Date With Destiny in Florida. The camera watches both Tony Robbins on stage and the people in the hall; those considering suicide, those about to divorce, those who suffered violence at home take the microphone and speak. Joe Berlinger directed; the documentary was made for Netflix. His choice is not beyond argument: the film stands close to Robbins, does not question his method and barely opens up the commercial side of the seminar. In return he was let backstage; the preparation before going on, the team meetings and Robbins's own account are all included. The most uncomfortable passages are the direct interventions with individual participants, leaving the question of how far someone without clinical training should go hanging in the middle of the film. What the documentary records best is the energy of the crowd and how it is manufactured. Who it is for: viewers who want an inside view of the self-help industry. Who it is not for: anyone expecting a critical examination; the film does not ask its questions.