Plot Synopsis

Adapted from John Hubner and Lindsey Gruson's non-fiction book of the same name, MONKEY ON A STICK: MURDER, MADNESS, AND THE HARE KRISHNAS is an expose of Hare Krishna criminal activity. MONKEY ON A STICK tells the story of Hare Krishna devotees like Nori Muster, a young woman from Los Angeles who joins to find inner peace and spiritual meaning but instead discovers a rotting heart of criminal activity taking place within the group. Drug smuggling, stockpiling weapons, and the subjugation and exploitation of female devotees metastasizes to widespread child sexual abuse and murder, all under the watch of the movement's spiritual leaders. MONKEY ON A STICK investigates how and why human nature drives some to dream the purest spiritual dreams but causes others to manifest our worst, basest nightmares. The documentary debuted in theaters across Canada beginning October 18, 2024. Two months later on Thursday, December 12, 2024, SundanceNow released MONKEY ON A STICK as a two-part series.