From the filmmaker behind the disturbingly engrossing 2016 documentary, Tickled, comes another wacky story about the dark underbelly of society. Journalist David Farrier stumbles into another absurd dimension in Mister Organ, where an accidental run-in with a man acting as a wheel clamper turns into a nonstop psychological game of cat and mouse, and the repercussions of engaging with a psychopath still haunt David to this day.

This story is one that only David Farrier is qualified to tell. In his own words, this is the type of “weird mess” that he has become synonymous with.  What starts out as a rather mundane inquiry into the abnormal parking enforcements of a New Zealand antique shop, Bashford Antiques, spirals into a whodunit-type mystery that ends up leaving David with more questions than answers.

Jillian Bashford is the owner of Bashford Antiques, and she has a parking problem. Frustrated with the public using her private carport, she hires a man named Michael Organ as her late-night watchdog. If anyone is caught parking in the shop’s designated area, Michael clamps their tires and only releases them for $700. Naturally, people are outraged. But not Ms. Bashford or Mr. Organ. Hearing the outrageous fee piques David’s interest, and so he begins investigating the situation. Quickly, he discovers that there is so much more than meets the eye. As David gathers clues in real time, he begins piecing together the fact that Michael Organ is a mysterious, possibly dangerous, man. Court records and public documents show that he has claimed to be a prince as well as a lawyer, but his discovery is quickly met with caution as David discovers that Michael has also purposefully misspelled his name on legal documents to cover his tracks. Conversations with former acquaintances uncover even more intrigue, and all roads eventually lead to David and Michael meeting face-to-face.

What follows is unhinged chaos. Michael Organ is a black hole, and David Farrier has fallen into it. Michael is hostile and intimidating but also flamboyant and speaks in a monotone, molasses-like cadence. He is also extremely arrogant, the type of man who talks over you and won’t stop talking until his point is made, regardless if he’s interrupting an interview or live radio broadcast. Over the course of the film, as David unrelentingly pursues answers to his questions, his sanity begins to suffer. A psychological battle against a narcissist is one that David cannot win, and he realizes he has to stop.

Mister Organ will stir up plenty of emotions throughout its 96-minute runtime. Intrigue, annoyance, and hilarity all stay at the surface, mixing interchangeably depending on Michael Organ’s mood and willingness to engage with David. Bringing the dark energy to an already palpable sense of tension is the score by composer Lachlan Anderson. The music is simmering and creepy, the perfect slow burn to accompany the arc of the film.

As a documentary journalist, David Farrier proves in Mister Organ that not all stories have happy endings or even conclusive ones. Calling Michael a “fuckwit who bores people to death until they jump off a building” may not live up to traditional journalist standards but David’s vulnerability and defeatedness after engaging with Michael for three years on and off is a fascinating thing to witness. Mister Organ is an enthralling and equally disturbing documentary that exposes hidden secrets. It’s also a cautionary tale about blind trust, begging us to think twice before engaging with a stranger.

Distributed by Drafthouse Films and MUBI / 96 minutes / New Zealand / 2022 / English