Free Spirits

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Free Spirits

Director: Bruce Geisler
Filmmaker in person
This just might be the most comprehensive, in-depth film yet made about the rise and fall of a modern day American commune. The Renaissance Community of Western Massachusetts was not shy about self- documentation. The sheer volume of archival footage following the twenty year odyssey of this bunch is astounding. When 17- year-old Michael Metelica (Rapunzel), high school and Hell's Angels dropout and spiritual visionary, retreated with eight impoverished teenage friends to a treehouse in 1968, they never imagined it would grow into one of the largest and most controversial communes of its era. At its peak, it boasted 350 members, real estate in five towns, an airplane, a rock band and a million dollar per year income. Many stayed a decade or more, committing their youth and worldly possessions to creating a model of brotherhood they hoped would be a model for the world. For some, it was the highlight of their lives. For others, it was a nightmare. The Renaissance Community survived the intense hostility of the world around it only to fall prey to internal forces. (2006, 99 min.)
Showing: May 19, 8pm, St. Anthony's