Behind the Curve directed by Daniel J. Clark
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a fascinating film, but not really because of the flat earth movement. It felt like it was more of a look at conspiracy theories and how people can get really involved in the communities surrounding these conspiracies. And how difficult it can be to change your mind once you have committed.

The documentary opens on a man named Mark Sargent who is apparently pretty popular within the movement. He talks about flat earth’s validity simply based on the number of views his videos have or the number of members they have in their society. The science seems to be lacking or at least circumstantial, but it is believed by a lot of people.

The documentary then interviews people within the science community, mostly from CalTech who don’t’ believe in flat earth theory, but are fascinated with the people who do. It also has interviews with psychiatrists to discuss how someone could get involved with something like conspiracy theories, and there is where it really gets interesting.

When they look at a lot of the flat-earth community, they find that the majority of them want to be special, to be heard, and to belong to a larger society. They find all of these things by believing flat earth theory. But it’s more than just flat earth. It’s anti-vax, deep state, secret societies that are ruling the world. In one way or another, all the big conspiracies out there have found a tie to the world being flat.

The film itself was engaging. You come to really care about the people who lead, who disagree, who make art surrounding this belief system. The conference was the most interesting. There was a guy named Matt who was at odds with Mark and claimed the the whole conference was a big conspiracy from Hollywood. I mean, why not? According to most of the membership of the flat-earth movement, everything is a conspiracy.

It’s a fascinating watch. I’m so glad that one of my friends recommended it to me. It helped me to understand other people’s beliefs and the motivations behind people’s beliefs, especially when it comes to conspiracy. And 2020 has been full of them. Highly recommend!

There is profanity in the film but it’s not significant. This was one of the milder documentaries that I have watched this year. No sexual content or really any violent content at all.