The Man Who Saves The World? Poster. Courtesy of Carey Muzinich Entertainment, LLC
Can one man save the world? Is it possible? Does he do it? Is any of this real? These are all questions that come to mind right away in Gabe Polsky’s latest documentary. But according to him, this uncertainty is intentional.
‘The man who saves the world?’ is a documentary that follows Patrick McCollum, a 75-year-old man who escaped death and now travels the world on a spiritual mission he believes could help humanity. Whether viewers see him as a mystic, a messenger, or just a man with an extraordinary story depends largely on what perspective they bring with them into the theater.
Polsky admits the film is difficult to explain.
“I created this thing, and sometimes I don’t even know what the hell I did,” Polsky said. “You make this piece of art, and it’s hard to talk about. It’s like a psychedelic trip, to try and describe it’s impossible.”
Production company Rough House Pictures also leans into the film’s unusual tone.
“Only a film this bizarre, inspiring, and human could feel right at home with Rough House Pictures.” Danny McBride, David Gordon Green, and Jody Hill said in a joint statement. “This is the kind of film that makes you laugh, think, and question everything.”
The film doesn’t answer a specific question we have or reveal the truth, but rather leans into the ambiguity of this story. Polsky encourages viewers to approach this with an open mind, saying the experience is less about proving McCollum right or wrong and more about understanding our own reaction to him.
“It’s like a mirror,” Polsky said. “If you watch this and think, ‘oh he’s full of shit, what an idiot,’ then that shows kind of who you are. If you’re really connecting to the spiritual part of it, it means you’re searching, you’re trying to figure it out.”
The process of finding McCollum came out of the blue. Polsky even said his initial instinct was to walk away,
“I got on the phone with them, and thought the whole thing was just so bizarre and crazy and kind of out of my comfort zone,” he said. “My mind was saying, Get the hell out of there, and then my heart was saying, ‘Wow, maybe there’s something here. Maybe there’s something real about this.’”
The more they spoke, the more Polsky felt there was a story he needed to tell. He describes McCollum as someone who has lived an unusually full life.
“The guy was probably the most fascinating person I’ve ever come across… like he’s lived 100 lives,” he said.
Still, Polsky said he took on the role of skeptic throughout the filmmaking process.
“I was constantly asking myself, ‘Is this guy full of it? How can this be real?’” he said. “I even hired a private investigator and made so many calls trying to verify many of the things that he was saying, and a lot of the stuff was checking out. That’s why I kept going to see where this was leading.”
This creates tension and begs the question: how do we know what’s true? For Polsky, not knowing what is real is part of the experience. This film puts you in a place of uncertainty and asks you to sit with it.
“Truth is very murky,” he said. “When you watch a great movie, you know that there’s a lot of truth in there, even if it’s a comedy. Something just connects in a real way.”
Despite its big questions, Polsky ultimately describes the film as uplifting and inspiring.
“The biggest thing is it’s just flat out inspiring and kind of positive in a not cheesy way,” he said. “This guy’s 75 years old. He’s in a wheelchair, and he’s still out there making a difference. Sometimes it’s just about saying yes and taking that first step.”
The Boulder premier is taking place at Boulder Theater on Jan. 30, 2026.
Contact Arts editor Lou Leclercq at louison.leclercq@colorado.edu
