The first on a long backlog of Things Thom Meant To Watch But Is Just Now Getting To is this Netflix documentary charting the rise and fall of a commune in Oregon during the 80s.

An absolutely fascinating look into an absurdly ambitious project, even more so when you consider the disconnect between the fears the locals had of being overrun by an incoming foreign culture they didn’t understand and… well… *gestures broadly at The United States*.

Just the logisitics alone of building such a thing in so little time is captivating, even considering the darker turn things inevitably take.

It’s six eps at around an hour apiece, really starts to twist the knife about halfway through.

Definitely worth a look.