I grew up in The South Bay Area of L. A. County. From the time I was 16-18 years old (1969-1971), coming home from surf trips, or going to Santa Monica and Venice Beach I'd see the large building south of the pier with the Synanon sign. It was very mysterious. All I knew then was that it was for drug addicts. Though I followed subsequent news, much was still unclear about it. This doc filled that in. I watched all 4 hours straight through. Very interesting and well worth watching. Great interviews with former Synanon folk, and a compelling story of the filmmaker's journey making this documentary.
Review of Born in Synanon
