There is no words that can adequately define the impact that this movie will have, its the sort of movie that you watch once but will stick with you forever simply due to the fact that such a horror movie could not be imagined if it was not True !!.This is such a powerful yet darkly disturbing movie that my advice is don't watch it alone or if you are easily upset.Marvelous performances by Polly Walker as the emotionally invested social worker will have you Loving her, and Luc Picard as the what can only be described as a Perverted and deeply destructive Cult leader. Make this a very rarely seen master piece that deserves to be watched just to applaud the womens strength in facing there Demon.I hope you get as much from this film as i did, but i wont say enjoy it because you truly shouldn't enjoy this story.Roly

The subject matter of the film is pretty gritty, compelling stuff. It was very hard to watch at times. The main character, the commune leader is played perfectly by Luc Picard. He's EXTREMELY creepy, and gets creepier as his world starts to fall apart. The courtroom sequence where one of the little girls tells in explicit detail the kind of debauchery that's been passing for recreational activity at the commune is absolutely disgusting. The cult leader's final attempts to regain control of his commune are deeply disturbing.There's something unique about Canadian films. The early Cronenberg films had it... like Rabid, Scanners and Videodrome. Strange Brew had it. This movie has bags of it. It's kind of a 16mm vibe. There are also scenes that are simple and yet brutally honest that are used to develop character, break the tension and probably fill out a lean script. For instance, there's a scene in a bar where a group of women are hanging out. One of the women begins to tell a story about going out to find a man for the night. She's pretty obnoxious about it, using a lot of colorful language to describe her sexual needs. This story goes on and on, much longer than it would in any Hollywood film, but therein lies the real entertainment here.

"Savage Messiah" tells the story of the rise and fall of a mad Canadian cult leader (Picard) who maintains a wilderness commune with assorted concubines and children whom he abuses. A serious, earnest, straight forward docudrama, "SM" tells its story factually with the superficiality of a news story, the "feel" of a budget conscious teleplay, and tethered melodrama making it only of marginal interest when compared with the likes Charles Manson or Jim Jones. "Savage Messiah" should be an interesting watch for anyone with a specific interest in Roch Theriault story but a ho-hummer for all others. (C+)

This movie touched me very deeply. Without no doubts the best performance from Luc Picard. I really think that he deserves a Jutra for that part; he really was."The Savage Messiah" for me; the kind of man you would be afraid of.Thanks Luc. Nine out of ten.