AUSTIN, Texas—“Documentary” Top Knot Detective ostensibly tells the behind-the-scenes story of a Japanese-samurai-show-turned-Australian-cult-classic of the same name. Don’t bother Googling the series, however. It doesn’t exist. (As the film’s Fantastic Fest description put it, this tale is “complete and total bullshit.”)

Sometimes, you simply need an over-the-top mockumentary about an extremely obscure and non-existent bit of pop culture to shine a light on the absurdity of our current entertainment industry. And as funny as Top Knot Detective will be for a certain kind of niche obsessive, the film works equally as well slinging one-liners about everything from the neverending race to become a content creator to the insanity of a traditional TV crossover.

It’s Sutaffu’s world; we just buy in it