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.
23