Towards Cult Documentary as a Subgenre: Orgasm Inc.: The Story of OneTaste (2022) and Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator (2019)

Abstract

The production of cult documentaries and media material dealing with cults have been on the rise during recent years, partly due to the popularity of streaming services as well as of the documentary genre. Due to their growing audience and production, this emerging subgenre is worthy of closer inspection, regarding its characteristics and generic conventions. The aim of this thesis is to provide an inquiry into the mechanics and specifics, as well as the narrative techniques of recent documentaries dealing with cults to show the characteristics and thus establish “cult documentaries” as a distinct subgenre. The analysis is conducted through two case studies: Orgasm Inc.: The Story of OneTaste (2022) and Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator (2019), both released through Netflix, but created by different filmmakers.