Wild Wild Country

I'm not into cult, but this documentary really blows my mind. Learnt so much history about the town, the religion and the whole process. It gets better and better each episode, couldn't stop watching! It's crazy that this is only back in the 80s.

I found Wild Wild Country to be a fascinating documentary. It had so many shocking twists and turns, it kept me riveted. Prior to watching this documentary, I had never heard of Bhagwan or the Rajneeshees. The events that transpired are almost shocking enough to be fictional.

The six-part documentary details the story of a group of disciples led by an Indian guru named Bhagwan. It follows their move from India to a rural area in Oregon where they founded a town called Rajneeshpuram. I felt that Bhagwan remained something of an enigma throughout the documentary. Although they did share footage of him, I didn't really get a sense of what his disciples saw in him to cause their devotion. His religious movement seemed to be founded on a philosophy of meditation (although I meditate and so would not call what they were doing meditation, by the way), valuing material wealth, and sexual freedom as a road to harmony. I really did not get Bhagwan's appeal.

That said, the documentary did an amazing job of sharing the progression of Bhagwan's movement over time, the perspectives of three of his disciples, and the impact of the Rajneeshees on the existing community of Antelope, Oregon. I thought the documentary did a fair job of presenting both sides regarding the collision of interests between the Antelope community members and the Rajneeshees. I found it interesting to see how two opposing groups can view the same events with such sharp disparity. As well, it was interesting to see how the Rajneeshees' desire to create a community of peace, love, and acceptance lead to behaviour which embodies the opposite of those goals. Without meaning to offend anyone, from my perspective, it was also such an interesting opportunity to see what people are willing to buy into in order to gain a sense of belonging and meaning in their lives.

To understand why utopias do not work this provides a fascinating real life example.

A guru who chooses not to speak and allows his followers to take control - Sheela is a brilliant mix of artful aggression and disingenuousness. Her lack of enlightenment by the end is bizarre. The whole purpose of following Osho was supposedly to gain enlightenment. Will the day ever come when she recognises that her need for power created only chaos?

Human nature in all its frailty plays out on film - everyone should see this - and read Animal Farm, which predicted it all decades ago. Slightly overlong which is the only reason it doesn't get 10 stars - but worth staying with as it truly gets weird halfway through.

It's great to finally see an in-depth documentary on one of the most bizarre events of the late 20th century. What happened at Rajneeshpuram in the 1980s is so extraordinary it's actually difficult to comprehend. The series is well-presented and thoroughly absorbing.

I was amazed at how much video footage they had from inside the commune- I really had no idea this much material even existed. I was also surprised at how much prime time news coverage the story received. The Way brothers should certainly be commended for how much time and research went into this production.

The major problem with the show, as many others have pointed out, is that it does not tell the whole story. In fact, it doesn't even come close. There are many incredibly disturbing stories about what went on in the commune during this time period, the worst of which involve sexual abuse of children. There is information about this online as well as in published books by former sannyasins and commune members. And while it may not be possible to discern exactly what is true and what isn't, there is enough credible evidence to suggest that some very dark events took place under the watch of Rajneesh and his associates.

The two main interviewees, Phillip Toelkes and Jane Stork, fail to discuss these more serious topics and spend a lot of time marvelling over how great a man Rajneesh was. Toelkes in particular is clearly still obsessed with his former guru, to the point where he cannot stop crying every time he mentions his name. It becomes incredibly tiresome and the amount of airtime he gets in this show is inexcusable.

Sheela, however, is a much more interesting character. By all accounts, she has done some terrible things and is arguably lucky to be a free woman but either way, she is fascinating to watch and listen to- both then and now. The documentary would not have had anywhere near as much impact without her presence.

It's hard to know if the Way brothers produced this show with a slight bias towards Rajneesh and his followers or simply that they looked in the wrong places and only found half the story. Either way, this is a great watch but I would highly recommend doing some of your own research to get a more balanced view of things. Christopher Calder's online articles are a great place to start.

What's great about this show is that it never takes sides, instead shows everyone telling their side and letting you figure out who's lying (lots) and who's honest. I wish there'd been a touch more expansion on the pre and post worlds, but I get that the focus was on the Oregon episode, so it's hardly critical. What was most striking here was how bigoted and clueless the people of Antelope were, how racist and NIMBY. And yet, the cult itself was messed up, so both sides have merit! Find your own truth!