MAN WHO SAVES THE WORLD, THE?

(director/writer: Gabe Polsky; cinematographer: Heikin Rene Diaz; editor: Philip Owens; music: Leo Birenberg, Ramiro Rodriguez, Zamarripa; cast: Jane Goodall, Gabe Polsky (narrator); Runtime: 87; MPAA Rating: NR; producer: Gabe Polsky; Rough House Pictures; 2025)

“Appeals to peaceniks.”

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz

The documentary by writer/director Gabe Polsky (“Red Army”/”Red Penguins”) is a unique, surreal and compelling character study on the award-winning eccentric peace activist Peter McCollum. The spiritual peace activist believes he’s been chosen by an ancient prophecy to aid in uniting the native tribes of South America to save the Amazon (and thereby the world). Four South American tribal elders say they saw McCollum in a dream depicted as the Amazon savior.

Polsky acts as narrator and as a character in the film, claiming to be the Sancho Panza to McCollum’s Don Quixote.
 
We follow McCollum’s life story from his childhood in Moraga, California, to how he became a jewelry maker, to being ordained an interfaith minister in the 1970s, to his efforts for achieving peace while traveling around the world, and to his life in the Amazon when he goes native. He becomes recognized by the world leaders for his efforts to get peace, while living off his social security benefits.

The late renown ecological activist Jane Goodall affirms that McCollum is the “most extraordinary man” she’s ever met.

The well-made film affirms that McCollum’s the real deal and not a madman. In a positive humanistic way, the film appeals to peaceniks and others who yearn for a safer world.

REVIEWED ON 10/23/2025  GRADE: B+
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