In 2019, two years after her divorce from her ex-husband Ari Behn, Norwegian Princess Märtha Louise went public with her new partner. To say Durek Verrett wasn't what the Norwegian public had in mind would be an understatement: in addition to being a Black man living in Los Angeles, Verrett was also a famous shaman who had worked with figures like Gwyneth Paltrow.
The trailer for Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story highlights his wild side and the feeling that Märtha Louise was drastically deviating from tradition by dating (and later marrying) him. But actually, this Netflix documentary shows they have a lot in common. Märtha Louise may be a princess, but she is, to use a trendy word, incredibly "crunchy": a woman who communicated with angels and taught energy healing back in 2007. The couple is convinced they met in a past life. And by the time we see them promoting their wedding photos in a fashion magazine, it's clear that their connection transcends the spiritual realm and extends to the financial as well.
Director: Rebecca Chaiklin
Stars: Lars Berteig Andersen, Derek Jameson, Matthew Dennis Lewis
Rebel Royals is presented entirely through interviews, primarily with Märtha Louise and Verrett, which gives it little narrative cohesion. Interesting details are hinted at throughout the film, such as when Verrett describes himself as "soul-sexual" and says he once believed he'd end up with a male partner. There's a section on the vile racism he faced in Norway, largely from online trolls, but not helped by the initial silence of his new in-laws.
But in reality, everything here feels inevitably superficial: a mix of gushing comments from the film's protagonists, alarmist tabloid headlines about Verrett's brainwashing of Märtha Louise, and questions from the Norwegian media that go unanswered. Royal expert Tove Taalesen believes Verrett is “perhaps a con artist,” a claim that is not explored. Verrett denies being a con artist or a fraud, and considers any criticism of him a form of smear campaign by a press that “doesn’t want a Black, bisexual shaman marrying their princess.” This may well be the case, but the film leaves some gaps regarding Verrett’s past. We are told that he sold healing medallions during the COVID-19 pandemic; a headline appears describing him as “immoral,” but we learn nothing about Verrett himself.
Verrett has also been accused of sexual misconduct toward a client, something he vehemently denies, but he is not asked about it here. Instead, we hear a voice note he sent to a friend in 2020, where he describes having “crossed the line” in a healing session by engaging in a sexual act, but apparently in a way that was still consensual. “When the press wants to prove to the world that I'm a charlatan, an imposter, a conspiracy theorist, a villain, a sinister person, the situation is very difficult,” he adds to the camera. The result is, like many Netflix documentaries, a film that, while not biased, isn't brimming with editorial independence.
Besides Behn's suicide and the grief suffered by Märtha Louise and her three daughters, the other unexpectedly tragic narrative thread concerns Verrett's health. We're told he undergoes frequent dialysis and needs a new kidney, for what would be his second transplant attempt. It's, of course, a sad series of events. But given Verrett's views on modern medicine (in his 2019 book, Spirit Hacking, he described asking hospitalized patients why they "wanted" their cancer as a form of treatment), it seems like a missed opportunity to explain why he believes some illnesses can be cured through shamanic methods and others cannot. Instead, he simply takes the opportunity to describe himself as "a wounded healer." As for that healing, we never really understand what Verrett's shamanism entails, let alone hear from a satisfied client.
Sometimes, as with the pandemic-era hit Tiger King, with which Rebel Royals shares director Rebecca Chaiklin, Netflix manages to have it all, preserving the presence of a key quirky character while simultaneously making him the butt of the jokes. Here, Verrett takes on that role: there's plenty of strutting, costume changes, and meticulous wedding planning. At one point, he fakes vomiting while reflecting on Norwegian society's unofficial cultural laws and its total aversion to modesty.
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