For nearly two centuries, millions of people have recognized the name Joseph Smith. But according to filmmaker Daylen Pollard, there is still a surprisingly difficult question surrounding the controversial religious figure:
What did Joseph Smith actually look like?
Pollard’s new feature documentary, Brother Joseph Again, takes that question out of history books and into the world of forensic reconstruction. The film is scheduled to begin its theatrical release October 9, following researchers, forensic artists and historians as they attempt to determine whether modern technology can finally put a recognizable face to one of the most discussed figures in American religious history.
And Pollard isn’t approaching the film as simply another historical documentary.
He wants the audience to act as the jury.
Still from “Brother Joseph Again” courtesy of Pollard PicturesReconstructing a Face From History
Pollard became involved with Brother Joseph Again after filmmakers behind the project saw his previous documentary Women in Christ during its theatrical run.
At the time, researchers had already spent years investigating the physical appearance of Joseph Smith.
“Some top researchers and forensic artists had made some major breakthroughs on what Joseph Smith actually looks like,” Pollard said. “I didn’t know this was a topic, but apparently it’s a topic well debated among historians. We have very conflicting statements and depictions of what Joseph Smith actually looks like.”
Part of the challenge is that surviving images and physical evidence do not necessarily agree with one another.
“We have two paintings of Joseph from his lifetime that look nothing alike,” Pollard explained. “You have an oil portrait that’s front-facing and you have a side portrait, and they don’t even line up anatomically. The eyes and nose and mouth and the spatial parts—they’re not even the same face of the man.”
Still from “Brother Joseph Again” courtesy of Pollard Pictures
Researchers also have access to Joseph Smith’s death mask and photographs taken decades after his death when the remains of Joseph and Hyrum Smith were relocated in Nauvoo.
But those pieces of evidence created additional questions rather than immediate answers.
Pollard said forensic artist Joseph Brickey spent years attempting to rebuild the available skull imagery digitally, accounting for distortion and comparing that work against the death mask, historical descriptions and other evidence.
Eventually, that work produced a photorealistic reconstruction.
Then something unexpected happened.
The reconstructed face appeared to match a photograph discovered inside a locket that had been passed down through Joseph Smith’s family.
“When he built it, the face looking back at him matched a recently found photograph that nobody knew if it was Joseph,” Pollard said. “It was found by Joseph Smith’s great-great-grandson, sealed inside of a locket. He didn’t anticipate when he was doing the study if he would be able to figure out if that was Joseph or not.”
Rather than treating that similarity as the end of the story, it became the beginning of the documentary’s investigation.
Still from “Brother Joseph Again” courtesy of Pollard PicturesTesting the Evidence
Pollard said the filmmakers traveled throughout the United States and Canada, speaking with specialists and putting individual pieces of evidence under scrutiny.
“That led us to traveling across the United States and Canada, meeting with dozens of top experts in their field, and filming tons of tests to artifacts around Joseph to figure out if we could show for certain if we had found what he actually looks like.”
The production even maintained a dedicated studio filled with large forensic evidence boards as the investigation developed.
According to Pollard, their approach was to challenge nearly every claim they encountered.
“Everything we would find, we would question,” he said. “Somebody would say, ‘Well, we have this record.’ Who said that? Did they actually know him? What’s the proof? Why would they say that? What are the alternative motives? Who are the counter voices to this claim? Who’s somebody saying the opposite?”
Those opposing voices appear in the documentary as well.
“We have people that we interviewed that were like, ‘This image is absolutely not Joseph,’ and they have all these reasons why,” Pollard said. “We have them giving counter voices. So it’s a good debate.”
That willingness to show disagreement may prove to be one of the most interesting aspects of Brother Joseph Again.
The film is clearly connected to a subject with deep religious significance, especially for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Pollard himself speaks openly about what Joseph Smith means to him personally.
But he also believes the forensic investigation gives the documentary a much wider potential audience.
Still from “Brother Joseph Again” courtesy of Pollard PicturesWhy Does Seeing Joseph Smith Matter?
For Pollard, the answer operates on two levels.
The first is historical.
“Joseph is considered one of the most debated historical characters,” Pollard said. “His name is hated and loved. To be able to know what he looks like is a huge historical movement. All these times, everyone referencing Joseph has only had these drawings and paintings that aren’t accurate.”
For Pollard personally, however, seeing the reconstructed face carried a much more emotional response.
“For us to be able to finally see a face of that man is an expression of our gratitude. It’s like seeing the face of a loved one,” he said.
He compared the experience to seeing his future wife after spending years communicating long-distance.
“When I saw her again, after so much time passing and not seeing her face, the immense amount of love I felt for her wasn’t just because she’s attractive, but because we had grown so much and weren’t able to see each other face to face.”
Pollard said he experienced something similar while working on the documentary.
“My immense amount of love for the man grew as I studied his face and was part of this project. I was like, ‘I love this man. I love the research. I love the story, but I love this man.’ I love feeling a little bit closer to him now to see the face of him.”
Still from “Brother Joseph Again” courtesy of Pollard PicturesA Documentary Designed for Skeptics Too
Pollard is aware that a documentary about Joseph Smith will immediately arrive with supporters, skeptics and critics already carrying strong opinions.
He doesn’t seem particularly interested in avoiding that debate.
Instead, he wants people to see the evidence.
“I hope the film doesn’t, for those who are anti and they’re anti the church, that they would still be able to enjoy it for the forensic, scientific, technical side,” Pollard said.
He points to the production process itself as something documentary filmmakers and general audiences may appreciate.
“You can see the investigation and see the story-making side. See the question side. See how you take nothing for granted in the research.”
Pollard said even reviewers outside the LDS faith have responded positively to the documentary’s approach, particularly its emphasis on methodology rather than simply delivering a religious message.
His invitation to skeptical audiences is simple: watch the process before deciding what you think.
And for Pollard, disagreement isn’t necessarily a problem.
It might actually be part of the fun.
Still from “Brother Joseph Again” courtesy of Pollard PicturesThe Audience Becomes the Jury
Perhaps the clearest description of Pollard’s philosophy toward documentary filmmaking came when he was asked whether a documentary should try to convince its audience or simply present a point of view.
Pollard compared filmmaking to presenting a court case.
“I think the documentary’s purpose is like a court case, and you’re trying to convict a criminal and the audience is the jury,” he said. “I am saying that here is the evidence. Now you’re the jury. You tell me, do we have Joseph Smith or do we not? And I want you to be honest. I want you to be brutal.”
For Brother Joseph Again, Pollard believes the filmmakers have built a strong enough case to make a definitive claim.
“I’m bringing a man into the courtroom, and I’m saying, ‘This is Joseph Smith.’ I have a skull. I have his death mask. I’ve done all these calculations scientifically and historically. And I say to you, ‘I have found Joseph Smith.’”
Then the responsibility transfers to the audience.
“Is it enough to end the debate that’s been going on among the historical community? And is it enough to change your preconceptions of what you thought he looked like? Now come in and I say, let the jury speak—you as the audience.”
Pollard continued:
“So does it change your opinion? Great. If it doesn’t, great. At least look at the evidence and see the case placed before you, and then tell me what you think.”
That may ultimately be the best reason to see Brother Joseph Again in a theater.
Not because the audience is required to agree with the filmmakers.
Because they’re invited to examine the case.
Still from “Brother Joseph Again” courtesy of Pollard PicturesAnd Yes, This Documentary Is Going to Movie Theaters
Brother Joseph Again is a feature documentary receiving a theatrical release.
That is an unusual achievement for an independent nonfiction film, especially one centered on such a specific historical question.
Pollard recognizes that.
“It’s very rare to see a documentary released theatrically just in general,” he said. “So to see a documentary released theatrically, even for us filmmakers or for other people—what an opportunity. What a rare opportunity to watch something made for the big screen and see this process of a problem that’s been debated for 180 years.”
Later in our conversation, Pollard returned to the idea of seeing the movie with an audience.
“Sitting with other people in the theater and talk and give your opinion before you watch it. After you watch it, did it sway you? Did it move you a little bit? Have your preconceptions of what you think the outcome should be? I think that’s all part of the conversation. That’s all part of the experience of this.”
The theatrical market may be difficult. Independent documentaries may not receive the same number of screens as studio releases. And filmmakers may have to work much harder to convince audiences that nonfiction belongs on the big screen.
But theatrical documentary releases still happen.
Brother Joseph Again is doing it next week.
And Pollard believes the theater itself adds something important to the experience: a room full of people examining the same evidence and walking out together ready to argue about what they just saw.
For a documentary filmmaker, that may be one of the best outcomes you can hope for.
Brother Joseph Again begins its theatrical release October 9. Pollard said he plans to attend several Utah-area screenings during the opening run, with additional information about filmmaker and researcher appearances expected through the film’s social media channels.
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