Indian spiritual leader Rajneesh, later known as Osho, spent four controversial years in the American state Oregon in the early 1980s, where he ran the commune Rajneeshpuram and attracted thousands of Americans to his philosophy. Accused of immigration fraud and trying to influence a local election as well as poison Oregon’s water supply, Rajneesh and his followers faced local opposition and a government crackdown. His follower, Ma Anand Sheela, became the face of Rajneeshpuram as well one of the lynchpins of its excesses. The Netflix documentary series Wild Wild Country claims to reveal the truth behind the events between 1981 and 1985.
Directed by Chapman Way and Maclain Way, the six-hour long documentary was premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January and will be streamed on Netflix from March 16. The interview subjects include Rajneesh’s followers, local government officials, and Ma Sheela, who now lives in Switzerland. “If I didn’t take measures to protect our community, no one else would do it,” Sheela declares.