Conspiracy theories | Total madness

They are people of different ages who appear to be living together in a commune-like shared apartment and going about their daily lives together, as is so common in the late capitalist, affluent world: They do housework, make YouTube and TikTok videos, prepare vegan food, pay attention to their health, and lift weights in the fitness room.

The group we observe in the nearly 100-minute documentary "Soldiers of Light" by Julian Vogel and Johannes Büttner appears sympathetic at first glance. The leader, David, who has given himself the stage name "Mr. Raw," is apparently a social media influencer. He's constantly talking, hugging people, recording videos, a go-getter – a people-pleaser for the simple-minded. David is also Black, and in one scene he recounts his experiences with everyday racism. According to co-director Büttner, after viewing the finished film, he commented on this passage with the words: "Perhaps viewers will be more lenient with me when they hear why I became so radicalized."

David and his seemingly inconspicuous group doubt the legitimacy of the German state and believe in the comprehensive manipulation of all areas of life by sinister forces that control "Germany Inc." From this, well, realization arise all sorts of fantasies of omnipotence and, ultimately, a parallel reality that can essentially be adapted at will to one's own needs for recognition and, above all, those for enrichment. We are witnessing how a reality is "created" that defies all scientific findings. David, alias "Mr. Raw," and the others, who have never completed a university degree, see themselves as experts and specialists in all sorts of things. They call their parallel world the "Kingdom of Germany."

David recommends that a cancer patient drink herbal teas and do exercises on an "infrared mat": "The cancer dies when the temperature is above 42 degrees." A man who calls himself "Peter the First" and is apparently the monarchical head of the Kingdom sect explains to a small group: "Through the connection with God's spirit world, we received a clear message about what we should do... For example, we recently had a woman who gave birth. Home birth. Without a birth certificate. And then her uterus dropped, and her entire abdomen was filled with inflammation. So I changed the odds and performed a spontaneous healing with her."

But the film doesn't just depict this madness. Alongside David, Peter, and other gurus, the directors focus on the fate of a young man named Timo, who works in the group and whose mental illness is also "treated" by David. Timo has to work long hours every day, unpaid of course, and endure fasting cures and the like. The young man is more of a slave than a true member of the community. Eventually, he flees back to his parents' house, unable to truly break free from the ideology indoctrinated into him. While he threatens to lose all support, the gurus of the scene happily enrich themselves with their machinations.

David and his associates are committed to their cause. They are concerned with a "higher cause," but this is in no way in conflict with capitalist exploitation. David is ultimately simply an entrepreneur who wants to abolish all forms of workers' rights and not pay taxes. Like any other low-brow capitalist. And to achieve this, one needs, if necessary, a lawless fantasy kingdom in which there are no longer any communal social security systems: Solidarity, as a central social concept of the civilized world, is simply liquidated or relegated to a personal level: The guru takes care of the weak (by talking to them all day long) – who needs the state, taxes, unions, minority rights, and workers' rights?

Here, complete madness is presented not as something opposed to capitalist society, but as an extreme form of our usual social practices. For capital, man is merely a producer of surplus value.

One of the most horrific scenes in the film shows David and Timo filming a TikTok video or something similar. "Mr. Raw" lashes out at Timo and his audience: "We'll show you what Timo looked like when he came to us. How he gained weight through vegan raw food and how his mental state has changed, because you'll see that immediately in the video. Say 'All the best,' Timo!" Next to him stands an incredibly exhausted, emaciated young man who can't manage a smile and, instead of the desired "All the best!", barely manages a sad "Goodbye." Later, he has to show off his stomach. David films a "six-pack" that Timo supposedly got. The filmmakers don't follow David's cell phone camera, which shows Timo's supposedly muscular chest, but instead focus on the pitiful man's face, deliberately avoiding David's snare. This little cinematic trick alone exposes the antics of "Mr. Raw," who is now filming Timo's groin while constantly talking about how great he is. Unbearable clownery.

One hopes that victims and perpetrators, manipulators and those manipulated, can still receive professional help somehow. As can the society from which such behavior springs.

“Soldiers of Light,” documentary film, Germany 2025, directed by Julian Vogel and Johannes Büttner, in cinemas from August 14th.