Commune (2005)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Jonathan Berman

Writer:

Jonathan Berman (writer)

Genre:

Documentary

Tagline:

Peace and love are only half the story.

Plot:

A documentary on the Black Bear Ranch Commune, an alternative living community founded in 1968 in the remote North Californian wilderness.

Plot Keywords:

Commune | Love | 1968 | California | Free Love

Cast

Larry Bacon	...	Himself - Public Defender
Harriet Beinfeld	...	Herself
Hoss Bennett	...	Himself - Neighbor
Allegra Brucker	...	Herself - Geba's Daughter
Peter Coyote	...	Himself
Geba Greenberg	...	Herself
Catherine Guerra	...	Herself
Creek Hanauer	...	Himself
Tesilya Hanauer	...	Herself
Efrem Korngold	...	Himself
Mel Kramer	...	Himself - Local Resident
Peter Leaf	...	Himself
Martin Linhart	...	Himself
Aaron Marley	...	Himself
Elsa Marley	...	Herself
Richard Marley	...	Himself
Osha Neumann	...	Himself
Kenoli Oleari	...	Himself
Cedar Seeger	...	Himself
Mahaj Seeger	...	Herself
Michael Tierra	...	Himself

Runtime:

USA:78 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color | Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Filming Locations:

Albany, California, USA

Company:

Five Points Media

Movie Connections:

Features Shadow of Fear (2004)

Soundtrack:

The Ballad of Cedar and Mahaj

Fascinating...and a little bit scary

This is a documentary about one of the many communes that began in the late 60-early 70s and is one of the few to survive to this day. Like most, it began with a group of idealistic hippies who wanted to change the world and redefine society and norms. In some ways, by the time the film ends, so many of these idealists are, in a sense, "the man"--having abandoned the commune as well as some or many of their ideals. People who were all in favor of "free love" and no possessions now were married and had real jobs and real homes--though a few stuck with the commune to the time the documentary was made.

While all this was rather fascinating, at times it also felt a bit scary. On one hand, much of what these people did wasn't morally right or wrong--just very different. However, some of their behaviors as the commune continued through the years really made me feel very uncomfortable. At first, running around naked, making love with practically everyone and having few cares sounded all well and good, but as a result of all this, lots of children were born and they were raised, in many ways, like miniature adults. Children, it seemed, were able to make adult decisions as their parents felt it was too confining and bourgeois to inhibit them in any way. This plus the constant in and outflow of members (including a creepy cult that "worshipped kids") made me wonder whether sexual abuse was rife in this environment. While none of this was addressed in the film (a very odd omission, by the way), it did interview many of these kids. Some seemed happy and well adjusted and others seemed rather angry about this permissive environment--though, unexpectedly, they also seemed reasonably well adjusted--at least on film. Still, it was a very interesting film about a part of America that is very seldom talked about.

As for me, with my background psychology and sociology, I found that the film was also very frustrating for me personally. I would LOVE to see a followup film that explores the emotional and psychological implications of communal living--not only the dangers but the potential benefits. I sure know that with my rather straight-laced and traditional life it isn't something I want for myself, but I'd like to see just how it effected everyone (not just the ones interviewed in the film)--sort of like a giant psychosocial experiment. After all, while this is in some ways a great system, over time they almost always fail or fade in popularity--why and how could they be run more successfully are questions that come to mind.

FYI--not surprisingly, this film contains a lot of explicit nudity. It isn't sexy or prurient, but parents might want to think it over before letting younger viewers see it.