As a lover of film – documentary, foreign, inspirational, spiritual – plus a
former 17 year resident of Sedona, AZ, I have been a devoted attendee at the
International Film Festival for decades. It has been a joy to see it expand from
one week a year to a year long celebration – with about eight different films
each week in a private theater. On my annual October retreat there, I saw
one of the most intriguing films of my life – which is quite a statement.
The Man Who Saves the World? Is a documentary about Patrick McCollum
(1950-), a spiritual leader and peace advocate. It chronicles his adventures
around the world to fulfill an ancient prophesy that could save the globe ,and
has been called a spiritual journey that merges the absurd and profound.
(Note: not to be confused with the documentary – The Man Who Saved the
World – about Stanislav Petrov, a Soviet officer who singlehandedly averted a
nuclear war – starring Kevin Kostner.)
REFLECT:
What movie has been intriguing for you about courage, commitment, and /
or consciousness?
Did it change you?
If so, how?
Patrick McCollum had life-changing events that supported his becoming a
life-saver activist. When he was s a child, his younger brother was almost cut
in half, and he was tasked with holding him together in the back seat of the
car as it raced to the hospital. His brother survived, and Patrick internalized it
was his duty to save others – and he COULD do it, despite the unlikelihood of
the task. As an adult, he had an extended near death experience, adding a
spiritual / universal dimension to his endeavors.
McCollum was originally dual-careered. He was highly successful in the
business world as a renowned high-end jewelry designer, with accounts in
major stores, and commissioned works from the British Royal family and
White House. He was also an ordained minister, serving as President of Our
Lady of the Wells Church and as an advisor to the peace center in Katmandu,
Nepal. His global mission expanded to many world religion causes and
organizations, including an alliance for ecological peace that includes Jane
Goodall. He was internationally recognized and awarded for his spiritual
diplomacy and ecological activism.
While attending an immense world gathering along the Ganges in India, he
was approached by four South American indigenous elders who recognized
him as the prophet from their ancient prophecy – that a man would come to
unite the American tribes to save the planet from ecological destruction. And
his laser focused quest began to fulfill that prophecy.
Traveling to South America numerous times, he met with various tribes to
become acquainted and trusted. They began the process of uniting – having
meetings of representatives from different tribes. He began the same
process in North America, and ultimately created an event where
representatives from both continents met.
Gabe Polsky approached McCollum to film documentary about the project.
An unlikely filmmaker for this project, he is an Olympic silver medal winner in
ice hockey and creator of several ice hockey documentaries. The worlds of
prophecy, mysticism, and global peace initiatives were definitely newterritory
for him,and the fields of consciousness and energy healing wereforeign topics.
Nevertheless, Polsky spent two years with McCollum criss-crossing continents
and cultural boundaries as both an observer and aparticipant in the indigenous
tribe gatherings.
In perhaps of the most intriguing segment of the movie, Polsky begins to
question the authenticity of the prophecy, McCollum’s identification as the
prophet, the process itself, and the possibility of any viable outcomes. He
places McCollum in a chair and harshly questions him about the ancient
prophecy and being identified as its prophet. Then he seats one of the four
indigenous elders who identified McCollum as the prophet in the chair and
cross-examines him about the EXACT words he said tp McCollum years
before. When the badgered elder says he can’t remember the exact words,
Polsky gets more aggressive. The elder slowly and deliberately rises and
walks off.
This leads to a confrontation between Polsky and McCollum, in which Polsky
gets accusative about the entire mission and McCollum responds that Polsky
doesn’t understand the cultural / spiritual ways and the elements of energy
work. They heatedly discuss the issues – with no resolution.
For me, this conflict was an inevitable clash between the mystical magical
and mental / material approaches. It could also represent Polsky’s overload
with alien topics / beliefs / approaches / experiences. Perhaps he was having
a “dark night of the soul” – seeing the movie as a “losing” venture and
questioning why he spent his time and money on it. To his credit, he
completed the film and released it in October 2025 to rave reviews – with the
controversy scenes in tact. It would be interesting to interview him in 2027 –
and ask what he feels he gained from the project.
REFLECT:
Why do you think Polsky was drawn to the topic in the first place?
Was it for his own growth?
Or spirit directed to help fulfill the prophecy?
Or???
APPLY:
Plan an even to step outside your comfort zone / field / belief system.
Perhaps a movie? Book? Attendance at an event? Trip to a sacred place?
Journal your responses.
The Man Who Saves the World?, documentary film by Gabe Polsky, 2025
