Michael Rose

This film was an incredibly interesting look at how pivotal psychedelic experiences can be in a man's life (and they are all white middle-class well-educated men, sadly). The interviews with leading psychedelic people of today were great to hear too, although again not a very diverse bunch. There was a little too much Graham Hancock for me, and his message never really seems to change. The visual style, although beautiful was also a little samey after a whle, I'd have liked something a little different for each era. And... finally, a point of history rather than a criticism, these men all had very similar experiences about a 'robotic-ness' to life. They all saw through the veil. They all saw modern, capitalist, consumerist society and the masks we wear. While I most respect Huxley it was Watt's religious feelings that moved me the most - and, although the insights then would have probably appeared truly transformational it feels like the culture at large, in 2020, has already integrated a lot of these insights and it's already seaped out into mainstream culture and we're all better for it. A visual treat, interesting texts brought to life, inspired me to read the original accounts. And I still think Leary was a fool.