Watch Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God

Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God is a 2023 documentary film that takes an in-depth look at the controversial spiritual group Love Has Won. Founded in 2013 by Amy Carlson, who went by the name "Mother God", Love Has Won preached a New Age philosophy that blended elements of crystal healing, ascension and reincarnation. The group believed that Carlson was the Earthly incarnation of God and had come to lead her followers into a new era of awakening and enlightenment.

Filmed over the course of several years both before and after Carlson's death in 2021, the documentary provides insider access into the inner workings and beliefs of Love Has Won. It features interviews with former members of the group, as well as families of those still involved, who share their experiences and perspectives on the organization. Many describe a pattern of manipulation and exploitation by Carlson and other leaders, who exerted immense psychological control over the group’s followers. The film examines how intelligent, educated people were drawn into Carlson’s orbit and came to genuinely believe she was a divine being.

Visually intimate footage offers a window into life inside the Love Has Won community, both at their Colorado headquarters and later in Hawaii, showing their unique rituals, ceremonies and belief in Carlson’s supernatural abilities to heal the sick. The film also traces the cult’s run-ins with law enforcement and Carlson's eventual death, sparking turmoil within the organization. Complex questions around religion, faith and free will run throughout the documentary.

Directed by Cheryl Green, Love Has Won presents a balanced perspective on a controversial group, neither overly sensationalizing nor glorifying the cult. The empathetic interviews and nuanced approach shed light on both the human desire to believe and the capacity for exploitation. While shocking at times, the film aims to understand how even harmless spiritualseeking can turn toxic under the wrong circumstances. Above all, Love Has Won offers a fascinating profile of charismatic leader Amy Carlson and the community of followers who believed wholeheartedly in her divinity.

Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God is a series that ran for 1 seasons (3 episodes) between November 13, 2023 and on HBO Max