User Reviews

If you're curious whether or not this movie is any good, please note over on Rotten Tomatoes, this fil has a 76% Tomatometer rating and an Audience score of 80%. Neither rating is bad.

But over here, we have a bunch of reviewers whining about how the people in the movie who have faced difficulties in life are "weird." One reviewer said, "A group of 'artists' who seemed like folks on the social fringe: mental issues, self esteem issues, the kind of people ONLY others like them would even bother with...cause they were all so weird and out there." Guess what? Weird artists like that are behind every form of entertainment you enjoy.

This is obviously a mockumentary because the film's special effects blend in with the supposed reality. This is hard to explain unless you see the movie, but suffice to say the interesting experiences this "secret order" puts its initiates through would not be nearly as immersive if the director wasn't using special effects to enhance the experience. For example, there is a scene where someone opens a book of blank pages and suddenly there is an animated story superimposed with special effects and a voice over narration. Obviously, this was done by the filmmaker, which means that none of that actually happened in reality. This means the whole scene is basically bogus: the prop designers created the interesting environment, but it was only finished when the special effects were added in the movie. That means the initiate was just sitting there in a cool-looking room looking at blank pages. Pretty funny oversight if they were trying to actually fool anyone.

But, the idea of the film is pretty well done overall and is a really interesting concept. If it was actually real and the film was just a document of it, that would have been a really interesting film about a really interesting group. Most people would be too freaked out to even get past the first test, which would make it a fairly elite secret society in a certain way. However, since it's just completely fake, I find it less interesting and can't give it more than a 5.

If you have never heard of unfiction, ARGs or "house of latitude", then this documentary will make very little sense. Some of the critical reviewers here thinks that this is a mockumentary, which it actually is not. Granted, there are a few reenactment scenes, but they work well for illustrating what the participants would have experienced. The people in this documentary participated in a sort of role playing game, where they pretended to be members of a secret society seeking to change the world. To begin with they did not know that this secret society was pure fiction and entertainment, hence some of them were not sure what was going on and if they were joining a cult. A bit like how entering an escape room, without knowing that it is an escape room, would confuse you even though the point is that you are supposed to have fun. These events really did happen. The documentary however does not explain this at all, and if you do not know about what this type of entertainment is or who Jeff Hull is, then everything will seem like pure nonsense. If they had added 15 minutes in the beginning to explain some of this, then it would probably make a lot more sense, and seem less like a seriously messed up mockumentary.

If you _do_ know, and perhaps even enjoy, unfiction and ARGs, then this documentary is really great and pretty much essential viewing. It evolves around subjects like what makes people interested in such, and the kind of unique experiences they can bring to participants. I think it is especially noteworthy how both the players and the creator(s) of "Latitude" tell us what made the experience great, and what could/should have been better. It is rare that unfiction/ARG pieces are as big and elaborate as in this example, but regardless it does a good job telling how you as a creator need to think a bit ahead and look at things from above once in a while, in order to avoid serious flaws. I think Jeff Hull made something really great and unique with "Latitude", but instead of only criticizing the participants for the downfall, it would have been nice if he had also looked a bit inwards. It could have been avoided with a few simple adjustments IMO. Just because you are kind enough to give people free drinks, does not mean that those people owe it to you to ignore any shortcomings that you yourself is responsible for. Jeff makes fantastic creative and social experiences, but a business man he is not.

An interesting look at what people are willing to believe when it comes to their own insecurities. The cinematography is pretty wild and the idea is cool. It's definitely a documentary that will have you googling after!

While it's ambitious, interesting, and a manifestation of a true talent's development, I'm left sure of only one thing: The people behind this are most likely quite insufferable...

So apparently american culture has created a disjointed society which in turn has produced enough lonely and bored people, desperate for connection and meaningful experiences, that their needs could be capitalized on by a company providing a secret society or -depending on how you look at it- "cult" experience. Art is essential, so is a sense of belonging and good intentions are laudable, still I cannot help but feel perturbed by the fact that someone came up with this idea and others bought into it.

This plays like a bunch of wannabe actors got together and pooled their money to make the movie they were never cast in due to a lack of talent. Surely some of them were conned, but they expect the rest of us to buy their con as well. Maybe out of some sense of shame? If I can con you into joining my hipster cult, I'll feel less shame that I got conned? Regardless, this is less documentary and more shameless performance art. And bad performance art at that.

This mockumentary shows us how absolute desperate some individuals (read millennials) are to feel part of something. Something big. And important. While remaining on the fringe because they're edgy.

It was semi unbearable to listen to some of the blatherings in the confessional interviews.

Someone decided to string random words together and create a mock religion and pretend to chase self important and easily manipulated characters into thinking they were chosen.

I hope the people were all in on the joke. Bright axiom and high pretensioness.

I'm not sure I can watch it all. Does everyone involved in this get the gag? The con?

Not sure if this was a real doc or a moc-doc, but whichever it was - it was weird. A group of "artists" who seemed like folks on the social fringe: mental issues, self esteem issues, the kind of people ONLY others like them would even bother with...cause they were all so weird and out there.

What a human being really needs is: 1. 4 or 5 close friends who care about you and good enough. 2. a spouse who is loving and good enough. 3. a job that is good enough. 4. a hobby like playing the drums or a book club.

If you don't work on the above, then you'll find yourself going in to a pink room, holding on to two balls, while a giant plaster face tells you the next clues in a lame treasure hunt.

Close to the end of In Bright Axiom, my mother asks me if what shes watching is about a real thing and if it's still alive, I answer simply 'it was in 2015' because I know the difference between In Bright's fiction and the reality that people thought it was real but when someone has experienced a member of their family devoting themselves to a cult they think that what they are watching (i.e In Bright Axiom) is about a cult because the line between Fiction and Reality was so blurred that to the participants thought the fiction was their reality and in some sense it was real to the creator but in the end it was something that the creator Jeff tried to turn into a real sustainable thing but didnt work out. For those who will try to watch In Bright Axiom after seeing this review keep this question in your mind 'what is real and what isn't' and maybe you'll understand their mindset

Watching In Bright Axiom is like watching your Hope's and dreams for what the world could be if communities like this are common place. Community that play, explore and discover one's self as well as making friends along the way to say it is a game is wrong to say it's a entertainment is wrong to say it's a cult is wrong. What it is is creativity at its finest. The untangible become tangible. But it also shows what can go wrong as well. I am hopeful that we will see creativity and discovery in our lifes if we just take a step back and discover ourselves and find that our preconceptions of what that is is wrong. IN BRIGHT AXIOM my friends I hope we can break through to that port once again like they did then and we may be part of the experience.