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In the 1960s, Anne Hamilton-Byrne was a glamorous and charismatic former yoga teacher when she founded “The Family” — which turned out to be a sinister cult. She believed she was the reincarnation of Jesus Christ and was the mastermind of the sect, founding it with renowned physicist Dr Raynor Johnson. Over the years they managed to acquire various children either thorough adoption scams or from other members of the cult, then brainwashed them while Anne raised them as her own. The 28 children — some brought into the sect at a very young age — would be dressed identically, and...read more...

From war-torn Sudan to Wagga Wagga, a tight bond between director and subject fuels this deeply humane documentary about one woman’s struggle to fit in

Does the strength of every documentary ultimately lie with its subject? A supposed truism says that yes, it does, but for a long time I’ve been in two minds about it. Extraordinary real-life stories can be explored in ordinary films (the recent The Family about Anne Hamilton-Byrne’s notorious LSD and peroxide-enhanced Australian cult comes to mind) just as profound experiences can be shaped from seemingly superficial settings, as in Gayby Baby director Maya Newell’s first doco, Richard – a touching portrait of a Chihuahua-loving toyshop owner.

But still, documentaries like the inspiring and deeply humane Constance on the Edge – about Constance Okot, a lively, compassionate but troubled Sudanese refugee – make me think twice.

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