Isabel Donadio

The subject of the documentary, Samuel Bateman, was a convicted sex offender who led a splinter group of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS). Claiming authority after Warren Jeffs’ imprisonment, Bateman amassed more than 20 “wives,” including several underage girls, before ultimately being sentenced to 50 years in prison on federal charges, including child sexual abuse and transportation of minors across state lines.

It wasn’t just the red carpet that shimmered under the Los Angeles sun. It was the realization in the air, the kind that sinks in when you’re standing beside someone whose path would’ve never crossed yours if not for this moment, this space. For