The Fourth Wall is a documentary series making its World Premiere at Tribeca Festival in which the son of cult leaders investigates the group he was raised in. Its beliefs included the nuclear family was a bad environment to bring up children and that kids should not be raised by their birth parents. The first episode sets the groundwork by exploring the beginnings of the Sullivanians and the man behind them.
The premiere includes plenty of talking head interviews with former members – including Wes Craven! – and gives an idea of what the Sullivanians believed in. Initially, it was a group of young people who wanted to change the world but were not sure how. This soon became more about sex and drugs as the group transformed into the type of free love commune that was common in the 1970s.
Things may change as the series progresses, but the first episode of The Fourth Wall is erratic. Some former members make passing comments regarding how difficult life was, but many also look back wistfully and even with fondness. Some of this can be attributed to the cult’s influence, but it is not until the very end that someone speaks with completed distaste of their past experiences.
Again, this may be a part of the arc the investigation will be taking. There is certainly no doubting there were some questionable things going on. The Fourth Wall has a creep factor that makes it an interesting watch. It is obvious the premiere only scraped the tip of the iceberg and does more than enough to make audiences want to see what happens next.
![[Tribeca '23] 'The Fourth Wall' review: Intimate look psychotherapy cult](https://i0.wp.com/aiptcomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/full_FOURTH_WALL-02-Clean-16x9-1.png?resize=740%2C416&ssl=1 "full FOURTH WALL 02 Clean 16x9 1")
Tribeca Festival takes place June 7 -18. All films and events can be found HERE
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