THE MAN WHO SAVES THE WORLD? (2025) review

written by: Gabe Polsky
produced by: Gabe Polsky
directed by: Gabe Polsky
rated: not rated
runtime: 87 min.
U.S. release date: October 17, 2025 (limited) and November 14, 2025 (AMC River East 21, Chicago, IL), November 15, 2025 (Wayfarer Theaters, Highland Park, IL)

I appreciate a movie title that presents a question and actually includes a question mark in its title. That may sound odd and/or obvious, but many “question titles” do not include the needed punctuation. The latest documentary from writer/producer/director Gabe Polsky, “The Man Who Saves The World?”, includes the necessary punctuation in its title, and that question mark loomed large in my mind throughout my viewing experience. No doubt, the title is catchy, prompting the reader to ask, “Who is this man?” But the more you repeat the title in your head, the more it seems the title is questioning the question. After all, what one man can save the world?

That question could have a definitive answer, depending on your religious affiliation. Or, if you have none, looking around the world these days, it would seem like no one, man or woman, can save the world. What I found most interesting about Polsky’s documentary is that the more time I spent with it, the more I realized that Polsky himself isn’t sure about the validity of the title.

The man in question is Reverend Patrick McCollum, a 75-year-old interfaith chaplain and award-winning international peace counselor, who, according to indigenous leaders in the Amazon, is the fulfillment of a prophecy—the one who will unite and save the world.

It sounds like the kind of “Chosen One” hyperbole that you’d find in “The Phantom Menace” or “The Matrix”. After all, this is a guy who’s gone from carnival worker to a renowned jewelry designer (sold at such high-end retailers as Barney Segal and Barney’s of New York), not to mention a kung fu master and a deep-sea diver. He was even a witch doctor (and one would think that in and of itself would require another doc altogether). He’s also a violinist who built his own violin, which he considers to be a symbol of peace. The Southern California resident also has had more than one near-death experience, such as getting bitten by a shark, and one severe fall that left him with debilitating back pain and a deteriorating knee, the latter of which required multiple replacements.

McCollum isn’t a vain person, nor is he a narcissist; however, he certainly doesn’t shy away from discussing his accomplishments and travels. He finds it all to be quite a wonder and a fulfilling life, so far. So, he figures if these wise indigenous leaders believe this prophecy to be accurate, then why shouldn’t he? The bigger question is: Why should we?

That’s kind of what Polsky winds up trying to figure out as well. If the Chicago-based filmmaker came up with a definitive answer at the end of “The Man Who Saves The World?”, I’m not sure I’d be writing about this documentary.

One of the many questions that entered my mind while watching the film is how long Polsky has known about McCollum, and how well he knew him before filming. In the Director’s Statement included in the Press Kit for the film, Polsky shares that he received a call from a colleague who asked him if he “had time to hear this completely insane story.” Polsky must trust this colleague to have said “Yes,” and reveals it’s an answer that “changed his life.”

I’m not sure I see why that is, but I can clearly see why he recognized the charismatic and stubborn McCollum as someone who could carry the film. He’s a fascinating character primarily because he obviously finds life fascinating. McCollum has endured a great deal, and despite his limited mobility due to a knee condition, he continues to remain active. At the start of the documentary, we watch as Polsky captures McCollum in his disheveled Southern California home, which he shares with his wife, and talks on the phone with his assistant, stating that he needs to schedule time to fly to Ecuador to assist in settling a conflict. For a guy living off Social Security, he sure gets around.

McCollum is at ease and completely comfortable being filmed at home, often interacting with Polsky, who is mostly off camera and has questions for his subject. McCollum gets a kick out of freely sharing his absurd life stories in a disarming manner, almost as baffled by it all as we are. One could easily imagine how editor Philip Owens must’ve done some heavy lifting to edit all the footage that Polsky gathered.

It’s not until Polsky includes the late Jane Goodall that some credibility is added to the film. The world-renowned ethologist, conservationist, and humanitarian is interviewed by Polsky and is included in at least one somewhat comical virtual interaction with McCollum. She’s here as someone well-known to viewers to share her knowledge of McCollum and her thoughts on him. Her inclusion offers a counter to Polsky’s understandable skepticism. The two met in 2004 at the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Barcelona, after which they worked on many ecological projects in Africa. In 2020, Goodall nominated McCollum for the position of Messenger of Peace for the United Nations.

During her interview for the film, it’s easy to see how Goodall can plainly see that McCollum definitely stands out. “He’s different from other people,” she states, “He truly seems to have been put on this planet with a mission.” Late on, Polsky captures Goodall pleading with McCollum over a Zoom call to slow down, after learning he was repairing his roof, “You’ve got to get your knee healed. We need you on this planet for a while longer.” Sadly, Goodall is the one who’s no longer with us, having died this year, on October 1st.

Narration from Polsky guides viewers along, which is helpful considering it’s likely that no one has heard of McCollum unless they’ve seen this documentary. The apex of “The Man Who Saves The World?” comes at the tail end when a frustrated Polsky winds up dumping some of the mounting questions that all of us have. This actually takes place in the Amazon, where McCollum will be joined by elders from four different tribes, a gathering that has been planned for months. What exactly did this indigenous elder say to McCollum? What are the details of this prophecy? Once everyone is gathered in the Amazon, then what? And the looming question: how exactly is McCollum supposed to save the world?

These are all valid questions, and McCollum becomes visibly irritated when Polsky asks them. Maybe that’s telling. We know that McCollum and all the elders recognize that saving the Amazon rainforest is of global importance, a fact we’ve known since the 1980s. So, maybe getting all the elders together with McCollum in the Amazon, along with 150 gatherers, is the prophecy. If so, is that it? What happens now? These questions are understandable. Polsky asks them, as did I while watching. All I can say is that there’s a sort of resolution to it all, but I wouldn’t call it satisfying.

Themes of belief and intention are touched upon in “The Man Who Saves The World?” Bottom line: if different people come together in an effort to be seen, heard, and understood, that’s not a bad thing at all. Polsky remains curious throughout and supportive of McCollum, maybe to a fault. That’s admirable considering how anyone else would’ve probably written McCollum off as a loon. In the final moments of the documentary, the director compares their friendship to that of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. They both get a kick out of the truth of that comparison.

I myself got a kick out of Gabe Polsky’s commitment to following Patrick McCollum through all his skepticism and doubts. Knowing what I now know about McCollum from “The Man Who Saves The World?”, I think I would’ve given up midway through the whole endeavor.

RATING: ***

Suppose any of this piques your curiosity, and you reside in or near Chicago. In that case, you’ll want to check out two weekend screenings of “The Man Who Saves The World?”, because they’ll be followed by some special guests (see below), including the man himself, Patrick McCullom!

Kicking off a special one-week-only screening runs starts with opening night Q&A’s on November 14th at AMC River East 21 in Chicago and November 15th at Wayfarer Theaters in Highland Park, IL.