Raël: The Alien Prophet 2024

While the core objective of the Raëllian movement may sound far-fetched—to establish a physical ’embassy’ for alien beings to land their flying saucers—Raël and his inner circle acknowledged that they likely wouldn’t live to witness this event. However, they found a workaround for mortality. In the early ’90s, Raël established a fraudulent company in the Bahamas and appeared to devote himself to the pursuit of human cloning. Surprisingly, this period of Raël’s life is the focus of the series, despite being arguably the least harmful aspect of his activities, considering the occasional references to child abuse and human trafficking dropped throughout the show.

Raël preyed on the most vulnerable individuals, indoctrinating them with tales of alien worlds and liberation, all to expand his personal wealth and influence. One former follower reveals she was a ‘battered woman’ before encountering Raël, while another devotee becomes emotional at the mere mention of his blue eyes. Many individuals featured in the series remain deeply attached to his teachings, either overlooking or actively suppressing memories of the inappropriate behaviors they likely witnessed in his communes.

In many respects—especially regarding his philosophies and appearance—Raël bears a resemblance to Osho. At one point in the series, a shocked judge observes recent footage of Raël delivering a sermon in Japan and comments, “He looks like Bhagwan!” Indeed, he does, as for much of his life, Raël espoused ideals of sexual liberation and material wealth, much like Bhagwan. Coincidentally, he also had a close associate who, akin to Sheela, caused a major controversy within the cult by claiming to have created the world’s first human clone using biochemistry.

This associate, Dr. Brigitte Boisselier, is prominently featured in the series. Currently residing in the deserts of Mexico, she still maintains that the human clone—named Eve—is alive somewhere. However, the series dedicates excessive time to sensational claims like these instead of examining the human toll of cult indoctrination. Unlike HBO’s recent Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God, which focused on individuals irreparably damaged by a similarly wounded leader, or even Hulu’s Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence, which demonstrated that cults can thrive even in small settings, The Alien Prophet fails to delve into the factors shaping Raël’s character.