Rating: NR | Runtime: 96 minutes
Release Date: November 10th, 2022 (New Zealand) / October 3rd, 2023 (USA)
Studio: Madman Entertainment / Drafthouse Films
Director(s): David Farrier

I’d prefer you didn’t have a key to my house.

There’s no big epiphany at the end of David Farrier’s Mister Organ. He hopes one will arrive. All documentary filmmakers do when they set out to craft a story around an enigmatic person or event that has the potential to conjure unforeseen twists and turns along the way. Where Michael Organ is concerned, however, it truly is a case of “what you see is what you get.” As those who talk about him describe, Organ has a creepy, evil aura about him. He will suck you into his orbit and wrestle away control. He doesn’t therefore have to do anything new. Michael has already done enough.

The story’s origins are simple. Lillian Bashford sold antiques at a shop with its own parking area. Whether by her own volition or not, she started to fight back against anyone who dared park in that area after hours. They weren’t taking the spot away from customers—the store was closed. They were simply “infringing” upon her private property. So, she hired a service to enforce a toll. As soon as the driver exited the vehicle, someone would either put a clamp on the car’s wheel or block them in with his truck. And when that driver returned to leave, they’d be forced to pay an exorbitant amount of money to do so.

Farrier, as a journalist, wrote about this human-interest story. It got some play and soon became talked about enough for people to start wanting to see it for themselves. In so doing, these people began to film the man extorting their money—a man revealed as Michael Organ. A man Lillian says she didn’t know personally despite always being seen with him. A man who may or may not be posing as a lawyer sending cease and desist letters in Lillian’s name. A man who served time for stealing a yacht. A man whose name conjures visceral reactions of fear and suffering from all who have known him.

So, Farrier decides to find out more. He ultimately doesn’t have a choice once circumstances put Organ onto his trail as much as the other way around. Why not lean into it and try to exploit Michael’s obvious attention-seeking nature to understand how he ticks? Except this isn’t necessarily a game. Farrier isn’t going to be able to catch him in a lie because he’s pathologically warped to the point of truly believing he isn’t lying. You can see it in his smile and penchant for blaming someone else for his own actions with an “I won’t disclose their name, but I think you and I both know who it is.” This isn’t an exposé as much as a warning to those who know someone like him. Run away. Now.

Maybe that won’t be enough for some, but the testimony from acquaintances and the primary footage Farrier takes with Organ’s permission is extremely captivating. The filmmaker isn’t necessarily falling under his subject’s spell like so many have, but he is suffering from the effects. Narcissistic liars like Michael have an innate ability to make you think you’re going crazy and it’s tough to extricate yourself from the situation as a result. Farrier could have quit at any time, but Organ refuses to let him by both teasing a reveal (“names will be named later”) and insidiously threatening violence with words pretending the opposite.

It’s the kind of story that might need a trigger warning for viewers who have fallen victim to manipulators like Organ. And it’s a journey that can’t help but draw you into its web of deceit—coercive and fatigued alike. Family doesn’t want to be associated with him. Former acquaintances are afraid of retribution just by mentioning his name. This man has his claws in so deep that you literally cannot get a straight answer from anyone except him … as long as you’re able to read between the lines and realize the truth: Michael Organ has done nothing wrong because it was Michael Organ the whole time.

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Michael Organ and David Farrier in MISTER ORGAN; courtesy of Drafthouse Films.