“By order of God”: Andrew Garfield embodies an investigator in a thriller series among Mormons

1984: The horrific murder of a young woman and her baby sheds light on her husband’s family, fundamentalist Mormons who reject state authority. If this miniseries is inspired by a true story told in a book by Jon Krakauer (Into the Wild), the screenplay by Dustin Lance Black (Harvey Milk, J. Edgar) invents from scratch a cop character with moderate ideas: he will serve as a guide to the viewer in this weighty theological thriller which explores the complex relationship between religion and the founding of the United States, including sequences which demystify the history of Joseph Smith, the founder of this Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Fascination for the religious theme

Andrew Garfield slides with great ease into the role of an investigator who discovers an extremism he did not suspect, inspired by the violent origins of this faith that is now essential in the State of Utah. In addition to the superhero films that made him famous (he is one of the spider-men of Spider-Man ​– No Way Home), his filmography shows a particular attraction for the religious theme: a missionary in seventeenth-century Japan in the sublime Silence (2016) by Martin Scorsese, a soldier who refuses to sow death during the Second World War in You will not kill (2016) by Mel Gibson (which earned him an Oscar nomination) or televangelist in the recent In the eyes of Tammy Faye (2021).

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“I could never fixate on one religion, but spirituality captivates me, I love exploring it in my work, explains the British-American comedian, visibly passionate about the subject. I find it fascinating how human beings organize themselves and create meaning, with organized religions that establish a set of rules. »

Also passed by the dramatic comedy big love (2006-2011), which explored the life of a polygamous Mormon played by Bill Paxton, screenwriter Dustin Lance Black is himself a former member of this congregation. “He introduced me to several incredible people who have left this community or are still part of it but are suffering from it, continues Andrew Garfield. I understand what is attractive in a group whose individuals share the same goodness, but the series also touches on gray areas. » Namely a sectarian and misogynistic behavior within a clan which gradually sinks into violence, in particular the two brothers interpreted by Wyatt Russell (Lodge 49) and Sam Worthington (Avatar). A young wife will question their certainties, a perfect role for Daisy Edgar-Jones, revealed by the series Normal People and War of the Worlds.

By Order of God***, by Dustin Lance Black, with Andrew Garfield, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Wyatt Russell. 7 episodes of 60 minutes. Available on Disney+.