Page 23 - C.A.L.L. #35 - Fall 2012
P. 23

Truth Circle:  One of the more                   my commune) are deeper, more
               interesting scenes is where the city             complex and far better thought out.
               types are invited to a truth circle in
               which they are pushed and heckled,               Drugs:  Another classic commune
               but ultimately both say things of                stereotype is that most of the

               significance which were being                    members are drug crazed or
               withheld. This mimics our                        addled. The scene where George is
               transparency group work (and lots of             asked by Linda “Are you stoned?”
               mainstream folks personal growth                 makes for an amusing moment in the
               work, communes have no monopoly on               film, but does little to recognize
               these techniques).  But as happened              that early in the list of causalities in
               with some regularity in the film,                the communities movement were the
               while the commune culture was being              places where people sat around and
               parodied, it was also pointing out               got high all day. Turns out that the
               how it addresses and heals the                   accounting does not work when
               failures of the mainstream                       everyone is high and these places
               culture. At the point where Aniston’s            crumble and fall apart like tumble
               character somewhat dramatically                  weeds.

               reveals her inner feelings the
               commune charismatic leader says                  Drinking the Kool Aid: When the
               “Linda, I think you have just met                films heroes realize that the
               Linda.”  This is exactly what we do              commune is the wrong life for them,
               on a good day.                                   Rudd says to Aniston that he “drank
                                                                the Kool Aid and then made some

               Free Love:  No movie about                       more.” Wikipedia tells me, that
               communes would be complete                       “drinking the Kool-Aid” means that I
               without the promiscuous sex                      am unquestioningly buying into
               theme. This was actually handled                 someone else’s ideology, without
               better than I had guessed it might               critical examination. A reference to
               be, with Jennifer Aniston pleading               the Jonestown cult mass
               with her partner to go have sex with             suicide/murder in 1978.  It is here I

               someone else after she had sex with              feel the most animated.  The life in
               the communes charismatic leader, so              the commune that is depicted in the
               that they would be balanced. The                 film is largely sustainable, crime
               sloppy agreements they made around               free, largely fair and colorful (like
               their forays outside of monogamy                 my commune).  The urban life the
               were certainly reminiscent of many               films heroes retreat to is on a
               enthusiastic newbies trying to figure            collision course with climate change
               this complex stuff out. And while                and peak oil, crime pained, abrasively
               sexually permissive subcultures                  stratified and grey washed.  If you
               make great fodder for comic scenes,              ask me who has drunk the mind
               my take is that the real discussions             altering hypnotic drug, my response
               around open relationships (at least              is most clear.





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