Synopsis
A feature documentary film set in Hollywood, examining a radical experiment in '70s utopian living. The Source Family were the darlings of the Sunset Strip until their communal living, outsider ideals and spiritual leader Father Yod's 13 wives became an issue with local authorities. They fled to Hawaii, leading to their dramatic demise.
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Cast
- Father YodSelf (archive footage)
- Om-Ne AquarianSelf
- Damian PaulSelf (as Yahowha #3)
- Zinaru AquarianSelf
- Harvest Moon AquarianSelf
- Octavius AquarianSelf
- Djin AquarianSelf
- Elena MichaelsSelf (as Electra Aquarian)
- Ob GoldSelf (as Orbit Aquarian)
- Dawn HurwitzSelf (as Galaxy Aquarian)
Recommendations
- 83
Portland Oregonian
The documentary's soundtrack is composed entirely of Source Family music, and some of it's not half bad. - 75
Boston Globe
More than just a footnote to a wayward period of cultural history, The Source Family portrays an American type, the transcendent charlatan, a latter-day Gatsby, not of material riches but of the soul. - 75
Slant Magazine
The research and elucidating synthesis on display effectively illuminate the pernicious aura of a lifestyle pursued by the yearning, lost souls of the time. - 75
The Playlist
The Source Family is a comprehensive and fair-minded look at the life and times of an inspired, mystified and possible deranged man. - 70
Los Angeles Times
Baker's transformation from "spiritual father" to megalomaniac follows a familiar path of brainwashing and hedonism. - 60
Time Out
The latest addition to the booming library of docs archiving the Nixon-Nam era, this magnetic pop-history memorial has everything: free sex, celebrity, psychedelic rock, polygamy and beyond. - 60
The New York Times
Unearthing a decent sample of these former members, as well as a wealth of archival film and photographs, the directors elicit testimony that’s diversely sharp, spacey, nostalgic and heartbreaking. - 60
The Hollywood Reporter
The Source does hold enough anthropological value to please some audiences. Despite lacking the recognition factor and lurid tragedy of a phenomenon like Jonestown, the story should attract viewers on the small screen.
