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The Synanon Fix

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The Synanon Fix
Written by
  • Jeff Swimmer
  • Mark Bailey
  • Keven McAlester
Directed byRory Kennedy
Music byNathan Larson[1]
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes4
Production
Executive producers
  • Rory Kennedy
  • Mark Bailey
  • Nancy Abraham
  • Lisa Heller
  • Tina Nguyen
Producers
  • Alexandra Korba
  • Keven McAlester
CinematographyLincoln Else
Editors
  • Gillian McCarthy
  • Veronica Pinkham
Running time60 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkHBO
ReleaseApril 1 (2024-04-01) –
April 22, 2024 (2024-04-22)

The Synanon Fix is an American documentary series directed and produced by Rory Kennedy. It explores the rise and fall of Synanon, told through the eyes of former members, into its descent into a cult.

It had its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2024.[2][3] It premiered on April 1, 2024, on HBO.[4]

Premise

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Explores the rise and fall of Synanon, told through the eyes of former members, into its descent into a cult.[5]

Episodes

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No.TitleDirected byOriginal air date
1"Here Come the Dopefiends"Rory KennedyApril 1, 2024 (2024-04-01)
2"A War on Convention"Rory KennedyApril 8, 2024 (2024-04-08)
3"What in The Hell is Happening?"Rory KennedyApril 15, 2024 (2024-04-15)
4"Strap Yourself to the Mast"Rory KennedyApril 22, 2024 (2024-04-22)

Production

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Rory Kennedy and Mark Bailey wanted to make a documentary revolving around Synanon, after looking at communities and charismatic leaders, wondering how people come to these places, and the relevancy of the story in modern day with the false sense of community.[6] The two came across Synanon through the book Straight Life: The Story of Art Pepper by Art Pepper.[7]

Initially, the Synanon archive declined the filmmakers access; after discussing their intentions with Dederich's daughter, they were granted access three weeks prior to the series being pictured locked. HBO allowed the filmmakers to go through the archive, which included 35,000 photos and 3,000 hours of archive video footage.[8][9]

In August 2022, it was announced Rory Kennedy would direct a documentary revolving around Synanon for HBO Documentary Films.[10]

Reception

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Critical reception

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Eve Batey of Reality Blurred praised the series approach and lack of misdirection and dead-end tropes, writing: "She somehow manages, through intelligently paced interviews with former members and archival footage, to place us in the same shoes as people who were in the cult, slowly turning up the heat until we realize we started to accept the unacceptable."[11]

Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com gave the series a 2.5 out of 4, praising Kennedy's interviewing skills, criticizing the pacing and length of the series, writing: "The Synanon Fix” isn’t the right length—it would have made an excellent feature documentary as the first couple episodes take too long to get to the downfall era of Synanon, but there’s something powerful about the sheer bulk of the hard-to-believe stories of a group that felt problematic from the beginning."[12]

References

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  1. ^ "Nathan Larson Scoring HBO's The Synanon Fix". FilmMusicReporter. January 3, 2024. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  2. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony; Patten, Dominic (December 6, 2023). "Sundance Unveils Packed 2024 Lineup That Includes A.I., Pedro Pascal, Kristen Stewart, Satan, Devo & Steven Yeun". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  3. ^ "The Synanon Fix". Sundance Film Festival. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  4. ^ "HBO Original Documentary Series THE SYNANON FIX Debuts April 1". Warner Bros. Discovery. March 20, 2024. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  5. ^ "The Synanon Fix". Moxie Films. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  6. ^ Bergeson, Samantha; Lattanzio, Ryan (January 24, 2024). "'The Synanon Fix' Documentarians Unpack the History of the Infamous Rehab Turned Cult". IndieWire. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  7. ^ Lee Claghorn, Veronika (January 21, 2024). "The Rise and Fall of "The Synanon Fix": "Like Frogs Boiling Slowly in Water"". Sundance Film Festival. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  8. ^ Schaefer, Stephen (March 29, 2024). "Rory Kennedy turns lens on 'The Synanon Fix'". Boston Herald. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  9. ^ Stueven, Michele (March 28, 2024). "'The Synanon Fix': The Rise and Fall of LA's First Drug Rehab". The Village Voice. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  10. ^ Otterson, Joe (August 17, 2022). "Synanon Documentary Set at HBO From Director Rory Kennedy (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  11. ^ Batey, Eve (April 1, 2024). "The Synanon Fix is a slow-boil look at a once-influential cult". Reality Blurred. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  12. ^ Tallerico, Brian (April 1, 2024). "The Synanon Fix". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
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