The new Netflix documentary Wild Wild Country follows religious leader Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh opening an ill-fated commune in central Oregon in the early 1980s.
Netflix’s newest and most hotly-anticipated new show explores one of most infamous series of cult-inspired crimes in modern U.S. history
The six-part series, which premiered at Sundance 2018, examines a time in recent history when Indian religious leader Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh opened a commune in central Oregon in the early 1980s.
The brief yet tumultuous time makes for an enraging yet wholly factual story following Rajneesh and his thousands of followers who set out to build a utopian city on an old ranch site in Central Oregon.
What sets Wild Wild Country apart from other documentaries is that the filmmakers, brothers Chapman Way and Maclain Way, boast access to a huge range of archival footage, since news organisations – both in Oregon and beyond – covered the Rajneeshee story in enthusiastic detail.
The story also boasts a plethora of juicy elements.
Upon arriving, with followers in tow, to Oregon in 1981, it didn’t take long for locals to start hearing about Rajneeshee and his group’s free-thinking attitudes toward sex. The guru – who had stopped speaking in public by this point – presided over a community clearly identifiable by their clothing, all in shades of red, purple and pink, which made them look like a colour-coordinated cult.
Running for more than six hours, Wild Wild Country may sound like a long sit. But the episodes fly by, thanks to the skills of the filmmakers and the outrageous true story that you genuinely couldn’t script.
The new series airs on Netflix on Friday, 16 March.
