WILD WILD COUNTRY

Rajneesh, also known as Osho, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, or simply Bhagwan, was an Indian guru and leader of a spiritual movement in the 70’s and 80’s. In his rise to prominence in India, he was an outspoken critic of Socialism and Mahatma Gandhi, while his movement advocated radical Meditation therapy and permissive sexuality. He fashioned himself into something of a philosopher, a mystic and in the eyes of some of his followers, a semi-deity. In 1974, Rajneesh established a foundation and ashram in Poona, India, to which throngs of westerners flocked, seeking enlightenment. By 1981, the ashram had incurred the ire of Indira Gandhi’s government and in a move instigated by personal secretary Ma Anand Sheela, his personal secretary and - in a huge display of faith, his Power of Attorney -  Rajneesh relocated to the United States, to a remodeled ranch and purpose-built town dubbed Rajneeshpuram in Wasco County, Oregon. The local inhabitants were terrified of a 'cult' moving into their sleepy county (remember, this is only a few short years after Jonestown) and they were understandably afraid and concerned. The locals refused to take the arrival of this transplanted 'instant city' laying down. The animosity and 'othering' was mutual, so the war of words via the news media and via Sheela's bizarrely aggressive press conferences, escalated tensions to a point where neither side wanted to compromise. By this point, the Rajneesh followers as a group were well advanced in their paranoia of outsiders and had embarked on a mission of creating their own law enforcement department and arming themselves for their own 'protection' against the perceived aggression of the Oregon locals. This rapid escalation of paranoia and self-preservation resulted in the first bio-terror attack in US history, the largest immigration fraud in US history and a political assassination attempt.

As an examination of religious fanaticism, this is a fascinating and engrossing lesson in how easily persuaded people really can be, particularly when they’re under the influence of ‘spiritual enlightenment’  - and when ‘sexual freedom’ is included in the mix. Producer's Mark and Jay Duplass have teamed with Director's Maclain & Chapman Way, somehow managing to track down key members of the Rajneesh group around the globe, even Ma Anand Sheela herself. It might have benefited from the perspective of just an average Rajneeshee member rather than just the leaders of the group, nevertheless It’s an engrossing, addictive and highly binge-able six-part documentary.