''Sons of Perdition'' is a 2010 documentary film featuring a behind-the-scenes look into the lives of teenagers exiled from their families and community by Warren Jeffs, self-proclaimed

prophet In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings from the s ...

of the

Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS Church) is a religious sect of the fundamentalist Mormon denominations whose members practice polygamy. The fundamentalist Mormon movement emerged in the early 20th century, ...

(FLDS Church). ''Sons of Perdition'' premiered at the

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by TriBeCa Productions, Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive progra ...

in New York on April 24, 2010, having sold out at the box office within one hour from the time tickets went on sale.

Background

"Sons of perdition" is a term used by some Latter Day Saint denominations, including the FLDS Church, to describe former members who have

apostatized Apostasy (; grc-gre, ἀποστασία , 'a defection or revolt') is the formal religious disaffiliation, disaffiliation from, abandonment of, or renunciation of a religion by a person. It can also be defined within the broader context of emb ...

from their religion and faith. The term is derogatory and intended to convey unholiness,

sin In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, s ...

and evil. Within the FLDS Church in the border towns of

Colorado City, Arizona Colorado City is a town in Mohave County, Arizona, United States, and is located in a region known as the Arizona Strip. As of the 2020 census, the population of the town was 2,478, down from 4,821 in 2010. At least three Mormon fundamentalis ...

, and

Hildale, Utah Hildale is a city in Washington County, Utah, United States. The population was 1,127 at the 2020 census. Hildale is located on the border of Utah and Arizona. History Hildale, formerly known as Short Creek Community, was founded in 1913 by ...

, under the severe rule of convicted pedophile Warren Jeffs, hundreds of teenage boys were exiled from their homes and families among the FLDS faithful for infractions such as wearing short-sleeved shirts, listening to music or talking to girls. Whether forced out by church leadership or a deliberate choice to escape the harsh environment, the exiled teenage boys were shunned by their families and community. As a result of their limited education and lifelong insulation from the world apart from their polygamous community, these " lost boys" were ill-equipped to manage life on the outside of the church. Many of the youngsters turned to drugs or alcohol to cope with the traumatic separation; others found themselves in trouble with the law. Directors Tyler Measom and Jennilynn Merten followed these ''Lost Boys'' for four years to bring to the film the personal perspective of the exiled boys. As described by one film reviewer:

Sons of Perdition's concentration on Joe, Bruce, and Sam—and, to a lesser extent, their exiled compatriots—is a shrewd one, allowing for a focused examination of the toll wrought by such an upbringing on teens undergoing the process of self-definition. Less a definitive historical account of American polygamy than a study of a very particular strain of post-traumatic stress disorder, Measom and Merten's doc is cautiously inspiring in its snapshot of independence blossoming amidst oppression, heartbreaking in its empathetic portrayal of lost young men permanently scarred by their elders, and infuriating in its clear-sighted depiction of the criminal and emotional horrors perpetrated in the service of religious psychosis.

Measom and Merten found the subject matter appealing in part because of their own experience of having abandoned the Mormon faith they grew up in.

Cast

The documentary features three teenage boys, Sam Zitting, Joseph Broadbent, and Bruce Barlow. At the time of filming, all three were living in

St. George Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...

, Utah, having left the dictates of Warren Jeffs and the FLDS Church, whose members resided in the Arizona–Utah twin cities of Colorado City and Hildale (known also as ''the Crick'' or ''Short Creek''). The film also features Utah private investigator Sam Brower.

Release

On April 24, 2010 ''Sons of Perdition'' made its debut at the Tribeca Film Festival premiere in New York. At the 2010 AFI-Discovery SilverDocs Documentary Film Festival, ''Sons of Perdition'' was selected for the Sterling U.S. Feature Competition. ''Sons of Perdition'' was acquired by the

Oprah Winfrey Network Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) is an American multinational basic cable channel jointly owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and Harpo Studios that launched on January 1, 2011, replacing the Discovery Health Channel. The network is led by talk show h ...

and was broadcast in June 2011.

Notes

References

Tribeca Film Guide: Sons of PerditionMovingPictures Review: Sons of Perdition
''Directors Tyler Measom and Jennilyn Merten follow the boys as they try to find a home, and, while the boys remain relentlessly openhearted and somehow innocent, they’re also slowly learning to close off their hearts from intimate contact with anyone.'')

''Tyler Measom and Jennilyn Merten became much more than outsiders and filmmakers. Sons of Perdition is an emotionally engaging and shocking look at the FLDS Church through the eyes of Sam, Joe, and Bruce, three teens who decided that life inside the Crick, aka Colorado City, AZ, among the strict polygamists under Warren Jeffs' control, was not what they wanted for themselves'') *(''Sons of Perdition selected to premiere at World Documentary Competition: For a group of teenage boys, the desire for autonomy means banishment from their homes and families'')
Nick Shager Review: Sons of Perdition
''...snapshot of independence blossoming amidst oppression, heartbreaking in its empathetic portrayal of lost young men permanently scarred by their elders, and infuriating in its clear-sighted depiction of the criminal and emotional horrors perpetrated in the service of religious psychosis'')

External links