Films & Events
It Takes a Cult
Dressed in robes, long dresses and flowing hair, members of The Israel Family (aka, The Love Family, Church of Armageddon) were a common sight in Seattle. They started in 1968 as a small communal, religious household on Queen Anne Hill. In ten years, they expanded to a network of communal homes and businesses, and grew to a tribe of nearly 300, led by Paul Erdman, who renamed himself Love Israel. There were no marriages or birthdays (because people are eternal and have no need for those constructs), but there were drugs, sex, and folk music. New members donated all their possessions and their power of attorney. Director Johannsen, who was born in Wisconsin but grew up as part of the Love Family, opens his film at a reunion of young people brought up in the commune. They, along with the older members, talk openly about Love Israel and his special abilities, about chauvinism, multiple relationships, money, poverty, spiritual visions, social shunning, brainwashing, hierarchy, selfishness, drug problems, and bankruptcy. Johannsen brings an insider’s view of what drew the clan together, about the love they shared, and how acceptance into a community is what they all craved, and in most cases, found. Director Eric Johannsen expected to attend both screenings
Sponsors:
4Culture, News Talk 97.3 KIRO FM, Seattle Office of Arts and Culture, Washington State Arts Commission
Cast & Crew
Director: Eric Johannsen
Producer: Eric Johannsen
Editor: Kamila Kowalska Calabrese
Cinematographer: Eric Johannsen
Filmography: Debut Feature Film
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(1 review)
user reviews
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All-encompassing, May 29, 2009
By Lauri Owen
“This film does an great job of portraying life in a cultish commune from all angles. It is, at once, kooky, heart-warming, joyous, & heart-breaking. A real look into an existence that only could've started in the 60s but surprisingly lasted for decades. ”
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