She was 41 at the time and Johnson was 30.
Punctuated with footage of the Johnsons speaking to investigators, the film largely plays out chronologically.
A central theme is how Derrick Johnsons feelings are articulated.
Daisy & Derrick & John Johnson in ‘Tell Them You Love Me’Sky UK
While FC still has advocates, much of the scientific world is skeptical.
Text yielded from the FC technique is used on-screen, but can that represent Derrick communicating?
But Dereks experience of what happened is something that we arent quite sure of.
Anna Stubblefield in Tell Them You Love MeSky UK
Therouxs interest in the story was piqued by a 2015 feature inThe New York Times.
Ive made a career out of getting big viewing figures on subjects that are in this kind of terrain.
I feel as though anyone whos curious about life and love would find this a powerful and compelling narrative.
For the people behind the project, that speaks to a disconnect.
And then there is, How does it sit with a general audience?
The lack of festival love hits a nerve with Theroux.
He recalls how 2015sMy Scientology Moviedidnt get accepted at Sundance and many other major fests.
It wasnt a binary, easy, hero-and-villain story.
Having captured different and conflicting perspectives, August-Perna screened the film with Stubblefield and the Johnson family.
They each saw in the film things that they felt were important in terms of how they were represented.
I think they felt heard.
Then on a personal level, it is important to have people like Derrick on the screen.
For Theroux, the film is dark and complicated but also full of humanity.
Tell Them You Love Meplays on Sky in the UK from February 3.
