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Mister Organ is one of the most unsettling documentaries I’ve ever seen

PolicyOctober 19, 20261 min read

Mister Organ is a documentary by New Zealand journalist David Farrier. It follows Michael Organ, a strange and dangerous man who harassed people who crossed his path.

What happened

The film starts with Farrier writing about Bashford Antiques, a shop in Auckland that towed cars from its parking lot and charged huge fees to get them back. His story led the government to plan a law against these extreme fees. Then Farrier found Michael Organ, a man hired to police that lot. Organ turned out to be a con artist who had claimed to be a prince and a lawyer. He is neither. The film moves from a wild story about a con artist to something tense and scary when Organ gets a key to Farrier's home. Farrier later left the country to protect himself.

Key facts

Clamping fees at the shop reached up to $760.
Organ was once charged with trying to steal a yacht in a complicated scheme.
Mister Organ can be streamed on Hoopla, Kanopy, and YouTube.

Who is Farrier?

David Farrier is a journalist from Auckland, New Zealand. His work for The Spinoff, a news website, led to the change in the law. In this film, he is both the reporter and the person Organ targets.

Why it matters

The film shows how one person can cause harm to many people. It also shows how a journalist can be pulled into a dangerous situation while doing his job. The reviewer calls it rare because it works as both a documentary and a psychological horror film.

Glossary

Bashford Antiques: A shop in Ponsonby, Auckland, that clamped cars and charged high fees to release them.
The Spinoff: A New Zealand news website where Farrier wrote the article that led to new rules.
Clamping: Locking a car's wheel with a metal device so it cannot be driven until a fee is paid.
Hoopla: A service that lets library members borrow movies, music, and books for free.
Kanopy: A streaming service that offers films, often free through libraries and schools.

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