Lured into a religious cult

Stephanie is a single mother to Judith, struggling to make ends meet. Slowly, she begins to drink too much to numb her anxieties. She gains weight. Though young, she begins to feel old, unwanted. This changes when she meets mysterious Nathaniel, the regular diner at the coffee shop in which Stephanie works.

Nathaniel is the centre of much admiration and gossip among her co-workers and his weekly visits lead to a number of rumours about his life. Stephanie sees the appeal once Nathaniel speaks to her.

There is an instant connection between the two and soon they are seeing each other regularly. With Nathaniel’s inspiration, Stephanie begins to transform her life and become more like her old self.

Though Judith is not initially taken with Nathaniel, her suspicions surge when Stephanie informs her that they will be moving to the countryside with Nathaniel, to begin a better life.

Judith’s dismay at being away from her friends and home soon turns to outrage when she discovers that they will be living amongst a group of highly religious, seemingly backward people who never leave their home – aptly named The Ark.

Slowly, Judith discovers that Nathaniel’s power over her mother is mirrored only by his power over those at The Ark, and she must silently witness as Stephanie is slowly pulled away from her, into a world of religious and personal sacrifice, the results of which are unpredictable and alarming.

Wait presents a thrilling account of life as a follower – the unavoidable attraction of a strong leader which ultimately leads to action without question. The promise of greatness combined with individual weakness and group mentality are powerfully illustrated in The Followers.

The narrative is fever-like, building in an alluring way that resembles the addictive nature of the Ark cult. The Followers is a disturbing look at what happens when we blindly follow and when life is mediated rather than lived.

See review in CultNoise Magazine.

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