The Reformers, my documentary about the infamous Sokal squared hoax, will premiere here starting Sunday, May 7th.
In the film, I track mathematician James Lindsay, philosophy professor Peter Boghossian, and feminist historian Helen Pluckrose as they execute a covert sting operation to expose what they call “corrupt research practices” in politically charged academic fields. The team submits satirical papers to leading academic journals in the areas of race, gender, and identity to see if ideologically flattering conclusions will entice editors and peer reviewers to overlook ridiculous claims and broken methodology. In the film, I attempt to include the production itself as much as possible and mess with the fourth wall in a style that might be seen as gonzo-journalism. I wanted to avoid over-analyzing the events and subject matter and let my observations and the characters speak for themselves so that the audience experiences the unfolding story much as I did.
I’m releasing it as a four-part director’s cut because that’s how I’d like it to be viewed. My goal is to use the series to raise development funding for my next major project so part one will be free to everyone via YouTube and Substack and then the next three parts will be paywalled.
If you’re low on $$, the cheapest way to access all four parts will be to upgrade your subscription to paid for the release month and then switch back after that. There are several other patronage options if you’d like to help me get my next film off the ground.
I’ve been enjoying the feedback on this platform so please keep the comments and PMs coming. I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the series and answering questions.
Trailer Launch - The Reformers (2023)