The Source Family

Jodi Wille and Maria Demopoulos's documentary tells the story of a commune founded in Los Angeles in the early seventies. At its centre is Jim Baker: the man who ran a popular health-food restaurant called The Source on the Sunset Strip, then took the name Father Yod and became spiritual leader to a group of hundreds. The film's strength comes from its archive. Isis Aquarian, the group's own documentarian and one of Yod's wives, had accumulated photographs, diaries, film and audio recordings for years. Wille and Demopoulos combine that material with new interviews with former members. What emerges is a portrait showing the period's appeal and its rot at once. The documentary neither clears Yod nor simply declares him a fraud. The multiple marriages, the group's move to Hawaii and what happened there are discussed openly. Some former members still describe those years as the best of their lives, and the film does not try to correct the contradiction. Who it's for: anyone curious about American counterculture and communal experiments. Who it's not for: viewers who want a clear verdict on how the leader abused his power; the film deliberately leaves it open.