Imagine Dragons' lead confronts the LDS Church his church in Sundance doc 'Believer'
When Imagine Dragons lead Dan Reynolds confronts The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on its teachings and policies about sexuality — and homosexuality in particular — he does so from the inside, as a "Believer."
That's the name of a hit Imagine Dragons song, as well as the film that debuted at the Sundance Film Festival Saturday evening at the MARC theater. Directed by Don Argott, the documentary follows Reynolds' story of interrogating his own relationship to a church he grew up in but whose policies he now views as harmful.
But "Believer" — despite being picked up by HBO for broadcast later this year — is not cut from the same cloth as "Going Clear," another HBO documentary that debuted in 2015 as an expose of the Church of Scientology.
"We knew right out of the gate we weren't looking to do the 'Going Clear' version of Mormonism," Argott said in an interview at the press line at the premiere of "Believer." "It wasn't about that. It was about telling Dan's story, and obviously, we have to get into the issues. We have to get into some of the history, but it's not a slam piece, it's not a take-down piece on the Mormon Church by any stretch. It's about people within the community wanting something more from their religion. And I think in that respect, it's kind of hard to argue with it."
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