The Workshop
World Premiere

The Workshop

| U.K. | 93 MINUTES | English
Comedy, Documentary

In the opening moments of The Workshop, director Jamie Morgan announces that he's "ready to make some changes in his life." So he flies halfway around the world, from London to San Francisco, to attend a 10-day workshop lead by spiritual leader Paul Lowe, and he brings a video camera. Leader Lowe is a white-haired teacher who promotes mind-expanding, heart-opening and soul-searching meditation-including the possible existence of aliens. As part of therapy, Lowe encourages these acolytes to shed not just "previous selves" and inhibitions, but their pants. Everyone very actively participates in the communal search for meaning, which includes nocturnal orgies. The breakdown of convention is a wild ride, as Morgan chronicles love triangles, couples struggling with monogamy and a gay man having sex with a woman for the first time-all on camera. Jealousy, both emotional and physical, erupts within the flock. It's an amusing and emotional adventure in sex, love, betrayal, fear and joy until the workshop ends. One year later, Morgan visits a handful of participants tos ee how deeply Camp Lowe affected them, revealing that there may be more relevance to spending 10 days crying, screwing and listening to possible aliens than we might have expected.

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