Top

film

Stories

 

The Source Family Documents Hippie Huckster Jim Baker

Comments (0) By Michelle Orange Friday, May 3 2013
Showtimes Trailer

Location Info

Map

IFC Center

323 Sixth Ave.
New York, NY 10014

Category: Movie Theaters

Region: Greenwich Village

Photos
1 user reviews
Write A Review
Save to foursquare
Powered by Voice Places

Details

The Source Family
Directed by Maria Demopoulos and Jodi Wille
Drag City Film Distribution
Opens May 1, IFC Center

Say what you will about Jim Baker, also known as Yod, Yahowha, Father, and then just plain God to his tribe of hippie acolytes in Los Angeles's so-called Source Family, but the man had the hair for the job. Zeus himself might envy the pillowy, platinum coils that Baker grew out in the late 1960s while reinventing himself as a spiritual cult leader with a sideline in the restaurant business. It wasn't just the hair that drew in the kids, as we learn in The Source Family, Maria Demopoulos and Jodi Wille's largely sympathetic history of the Baker-led phenomenon. Baker knew his market so well that he advertised meditation classes for "all the confused, lost children of the new age" in the local paper. Offering himself as a father, protector, and—if you were a teenage girl—sexual instructor, Baker ruled a mini-society of about 150 kids, several of whom appear to tell their story. That kind of charisma is tough to translate, and indeed photos, footage, and recordings of Baker do little to suggest he was more than a gifted huckster with great hair. With some focus and critical perspective, The Source Family might have documented more than a spectacle of its time.

Related Content

Check out this week's featured ad for Restaurants
More Ads >>
 
My Voice Nation Help
0 comments
  Livefyre
Newest | Oldest
 
VOICE Daily Deals

Now Showing

Find capsule reviews, showtimes & tickets for all films in town.

Powered By VOICE Places

Slideshows

Join My Voice Nation for free stuff, film info & more!


Box Office

  1. Pain & Gain, 20.2 mil, 20.2 mil
  2. Oblivion, 17.8 mil, 65.1 mil
  3. 42, 10.7 mil, 69.0 mil
  4. The Big Wedding, 7.6 mil, 7.6 mil
  5. The Croods, 6.7 mil, 163.2 mil
  6. G.I. Joe: Retaliation, 3.7 mil, 116.5 mil
  7. Scary Movie V, 3.4 mil, 27.5 mil
  8. Olympus Has Fallen, 2.9 mil, 93.2 mil
  9. The Place Beyond the Pines, 2.7 mil, 16.2 mil
  10. Jurassic Park 3D, 2.4 mil, 42.1 mil
Movie Title, Weekly Earnings, Total Earnings

Movie Trailers

More News Stories >
©2013 Village Voice, LLC, All rights reserved.
Browse Voice Nation
  • Voice Places New York

    Voice Places

    Find everything you're looking for in your city

  • Happy Hour App

    Happy Hour App

    Find the best happy hour deals in your city

  • Daily Deals

    Daily Deals

    Get today's exclusive deals at savings of anywhere from 50-90%

  • Best Of

    Best Of...

    Check out the hottest list of places and things to do around your city

Join
Log In