The film is a true story from here in Orange County and a documentary about how a little art gallery and spiritual commune in Laguna Beach ran by friends became the biggest drug distribution network in the world.
The interviews with the Laguna Beach chief of police, and defense attorney Michael Kennedy, before his death, plus the clips from Paul McCartney, Nixon, Reagan, Lyndon Johnson and Dan Ackroyd, and the reenactments of OC in the sixties, the stories of passport fraud, smuggling, prison breaks and living on the run, and wanting to change the world made you feel like you were there.
This is a story hinted at in books and other cultural artifacts of the time from the 60s, and was really waiting for this treatment as a film. The filmmaker did a great job, especially with the tone, look, and feel of the film, and the intensive interviews with those involved make you invested in their stories.
If I had a criticism of the film, the flow of the storytelling seemed a little jarring at times. That might have been because parts of the story may have been trimmed for time, or it might have been due to planning to tell this story in an unusual way, or due to not considering unanswered questions.
Most audience members had curiosity about the prosecution, and punishment, for those featured in the film. Only near the end are quick titles given showing the punishment for some of the members featured, but not the actual time served, the effects on them, or even what charges were filed. Likewise, the storytelling loop of Timothy Leary and his jail escape leaves him (presumably) in Canada, with no further follow up on what happened to him, or any liability to him or those featured here that helped him escape.
A confession of love that leaves two members joining together and starting their life together, which the filmmaker said was an important point he wanted to include in the film, seemed uncomfortably inserted in the film, with no lead up, or resolution after as to why that happened, or what the effects were.
I think motivation for all involved is an important part of bonding with those featured, and the inspiration to provide enlightenment to the world was brought up once and not resolved, when that could have been expounded on more.
Overall, a very enjoyable film that makes you want to learn more and leaves you thinking for a while. An important part of the history of the 60s, the history of Orange County, and much of what that generation brought to modern society.
The interviews with the Laguna Beach chief of police, and defense attorney Michael Kennedy, before his death, plus the clips from Paul McCartney, Nixon, Reagan, Lyndon Johnson and Dan Ackroyd, and the reenactments of OC in the sixties, the stories of passport fraud, smuggling, prison breaks and living on the run, and wanting to change the world made you feel like you were there.
This is a story hinted at in books and other cultural artifacts of the time from the 60s, and was really waiting for this treatment as a film. The filmmaker did a great job, especially with the tone, look, and feel of the film, and the intensive interviews with those involved make you invested in their stories.
If I had a criticism of the film, the flow of the storytelling seemed a little jarring at times. That might have been because parts of the story may have been trimmed for time, or it might have been due to planning to tell this story in an unusual way, or due to not considering unanswered questions.
Most audience members had curiosity about the prosecution, and punishment, for those featured in the film. Only near the end are quick titles given showing the punishment for some of the members featured, but not the actual time served, the effects on them, or even what charges were filed. Likewise, the storytelling loop of Timothy Leary and his jail escape leaves him (presumably) in Canada, with no further follow up on what happened to him, or any liability to him or those featured here that helped him escape.
A confession of love that leaves two members joining together and starting their life together, which the filmmaker said was an important point he wanted to include in the film, seemed uncomfortably inserted in the film, with no lead up, or resolution after as to why that happened, or what the effects were.
I think motivation for all involved is an important part of bonding with those featured, and the inspiration to provide enlightenment to the world was brought up once and not resolved, when that could have been expounded on more.
Overall, a very enjoyable film that makes you want to learn more and leaves you thinking for a while. An important part of the history of the 60s, the history of Orange County, and much of what that generation brought to modern society.
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