In 1991 a group of countercultural visionaries built an enormous replica of earth’s ecosystem called Biosphere 2. When eight “biospherians” lived sealed inside, they faced ecological calamities and cult accusations. Their epic adventure is a cautionary tale but also a testament to the power of small groups reimagining the world.
Космический корабль Земля
USA
Sundance Film Festival
USA
UK12
UK
USA
someone in the movie i can’t remember: “they’re a very ethnically diverse group”
the group in question: ⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️
My favorite part was when the Black teens immediately pointed out how white the whole thing was
On September 26, 1991, the world watched as eight visionary hippies dressed up as cosmonauts and sealed themselves inside the massive, environmentally self-sustaining, $150 million glass vivarium where they would live together for the next two years. The facility was dubbed “Biosphere 2,” a man-made sequel to Earth that would offer a microcosmic glimpse of our impact on the planet, and explore the possibility of replicating it elsewhere in the galaxy. A non-profit that was populated by the members of an experimental theater troupe and funded by the heir to a Texas oil fortune, the project was hailed by some as “the most exciting scientific undertaking since we launched toward the moon,” and derided by others as “New Age drivel.”…
So, let me get this straight - a bunch of hippies from San Francisco started a traveling theater group which evolved into a desert commune which then evolved into sea-faring nomads who partnered with an oil baron to gentrify foreign countries and eventually started a questionable $200 million science project that would end up being raided by said oil baron after he partnered up with white supremacist Steve Bannon in a hostile purge?
Let's just say this doc has some MAJOR framing issues.
Proudly capitalist hippies who love experimental theater and don’t do drugs? No thanks.
I kept waiting for the filmmakers to press them about these mysterious “businesses” they owned, or why exactly it was people kept calling them a cult, but it never happened. If you want a documentary about hippies changing the world, Crip Camp is a much better option than these jags.
"It’s designers say it’s science.
It’s detractors say it's a tourist attraction run by questionable characters"
Hippie Science
I love science stories, so I was really looking forward to watching this doc on the Biosphere 2 experiment, which I knew practically nothing about. As it turns out The Bio experiment was not put together by scientists, but rather a commune with a billionaire investor.
This story is told primarily by the participants which is a good thing and a bad thing. They have a TON of archival footage dating all the way back to the 60’s and I think the producers felt like they had to use every ounce of it. The first third of the movie is spent exploring…
There were two shocking moments in this documentary about the volunteers who lived inside the Biosphere for two years:
1. When it ended and I realized that they weren’t even going to acknowledge the movie ‘Bio-Dome.’
2. Who took over the Biosphere after the initial experiment ended (I’m not going to ruin the surprise, but it is definitely a ‘WTF’ turn of events).
This doc could trim about 20 minutes of footage and panning shots, but it is worth checking out even if Pauly Shore doesn’t make an appearance.
If there’s anything more surprising than the Rue McClanahan cameo, it’s the one from multishirted serpent Steve Bannon.
My heart is there—it probably always will be there.
A thoroughly engaging portrait of a group whose story essentially defines the saying "truth is stranger than fiction." Director Matt Wolf manages to keep everything brisk, while still feeling deeply intimate, interesting, and capable of surprise (the score by [!] Owen Pallett is understated perfection). For it to be so shockingly relevant to our current situation only adds to the experience.
70
