More and more films premiere on Video on Demand — if they don’t simply bypass a theatrical release altogether. Because VOD reviews are often scarce and hard to find, Criticwire created VODetails, a recurring column to help you figure out whether a new VOD release is worth your hard-earned dollar. This time we’re looking at “Decoding Deepak,” a documentary about spiritual guru Deepak Chopra — not a white-knuckle techno-thriller about a bunch of edgy, punkish hackers working to decrypt an unusually named piece of HTML.
Director: Gotham Chopra
Cast: Deepak Chopra, Gotham Chopra
Official Synopsis: “Journalist and filmmaker Gotham Chopra spends a year traveling the world decoding his father Deepak Chopra, resolving the spiritual icon he is to the world vs. the real man known to his family. What starts as an intimate biopic becomes a deeper plunge into the meaning of identity itself.”
Trailer:
Reviews:
“Neither hagiography nor hatchet job, the pic is by turns amusing and illuminating, and often both simultaneously.”
Michael Nordine, Village Voice:
“Does something a lot of other documentarians try at and fail: makes something intimate and relevant to the outside world.”
Matthew Fong, Advance Screenings:
“There’s no real storyline, goal, or hidden agenda — just a subject that’s worth filming. And to me, that’s what makes the best documentaries.”
Micael Mirza, College Movie Review:
“An entertaining watch that should appeal to those outside of [Chopra’s] immediate fan base.”
“Perfectly watchable, if not always exactly riveting.”
“Decoding Deepak“ is now playing in New York and Los Angeles, and is available on demand, iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon.
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