Atheist America 2015
Distributed by Film Movement
Produced by Ingo Fliess
Directed by Ralf Buecheler
DVD, color, 88 min.
High School - General Adult
Christianity, Religion
Date Entered: 02/02/2018
Reviewed by Alexander Rolfe, Technical Services Librarian, George Fox University, Newberg, ORMatt Dillahunty hosts The Atheist Experience, a weekly call-in radio show in Austin, Texas. This documentary intersperses footage of the operation of his show with scenes of public religious behavior in Texas. It’s not the most flattering portrayal of either atheists or Christians. The most interesting part is the last ten minutes, when Dillahunty holds a formal debate with a theist, but even that was a letdown, given the brevity of his response.
The documentary was so aimless that it left me confused; it seemed obvious that one’s time would be better spent simply listening to the radio show. It made more sense when I realized that it was made by German filmmakers, and can be found (with German subtitles) under the title Mission Control Texas. For Europeans who have never seen a prayer at a rodeo, or a person offering to pray for another at a garage sale, it might be riveting. For Americans, it’s mostly slow, and is likely to provide little educational value.