The Synanon Fix

2024 American TV documentary series

  • Jeff Swimmer
  • Mark Bailey
  • Keven McAlester
Directed byRory KennedyMusic byNathan Larson[1]Country of originUnited StatesOriginal languageEnglishNo. of episodes1ProductionExecutive producers
  • Rory Kennedy
  • Mark Bailey
  • Nancy Abraham
  • Lisa Heller
  • Tina Nguyen
Producers
  • Alexandra Korba
  • Keven McAlester
CinematographyLincoln ElseEditors
  • Gillian McCarthy
  • Veronica Pinkham
Running time60 minutesProduction companies
  • HBO Documentary Films
  • Moxie Films
Original releaseNetworkHBOReleaseApril 1, 2024 (2024-04-01) –
present

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

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

Episodes

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

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

Critical reception

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

  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.

External links

  • The Synanon Fix at IMDb Edit this at Wikidata
  • v
  • t
  • e
Former
1990s
  • Skinheads USA: Soldiers of the Race War (1993)
  • Shock Video (1993)
  • One Survivor Remembers (1995)
  • Mumia Abu-Jamal: A Case For Reasonable Doubt? (1996)
  • Paradise Lost (1996)
  • Without Pity: A Film About Abilities (1996)
  • 4 Little Girls (1997)
  • City Dump: The Story of the 1951 CCNY Basketball Scandal (1998)
  • Private Dicks: Men Exposed (1999)
2000s
2010s
2020s
  • After Truth: Disinformation and the Cost of Fake News (2020)
  • McMillions (2020)
  • Autism: The Sequel (2020)
  • Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind (2020)
  • Bully. Coward. Victim: The Story of Roy Cohn (2020)
  • How To with John Wilson (2020–2023)
  • I'll Be Gone in the Dark (2020)
  • Welcome to Chechnya (2020)
  • Showbiz Kids (2020)
  • Stockton on My Mind (2020)
  • The Weight of Gold (2020)
  • The Swamp (2020)
  • Yusuf Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn (2020)
  • Agents of Chaos (2020)
  • Wild Card: The Downfall of a Radio Loudmouth (2020)
  • Siempre, Luis (2020)
  • The Perfect Weapon (2020)
  • 537 Votes (2020)
  • The Soul of America (2020)
  • Burning Ojai: Our Fire Story (2020)
  • Transhood (2020)
  • Crazy, Not Insane (2020)
  • The Mystery Of D.B. Cooper (2020)
  • Baby God (2020)
  • The Vow (2020–2022)
  • 40 Years a Prisoner (2020)
  • Alabama Snake (2020)
  • The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend A Broken Heart (2020)
  • The Art of Political Murder (2020)
  • Tiger (2021)
  • Fake Famous (2021)
  • Black Art: In the Absence of Light (2021)
  • Painting with John (2021–2023)
  • The Lady and the Dale (2021)
  • Covid Diaries NYC (2021)
  • Allen v. Farrow (2021)
  • The Day Sports Stood Still (2021)
  • Tina (2021)
  • The Last Cruise (2021)
  • Q: Into the Storm (2021)
  • Exterminate All the Brutes (2021)
  • Our Towns (2021)
  • Pray, Obey, Kill (2021)
  • The Crime of the Century (2021)
  • Revolution Rent (2021)
  • The Legend of the Underground (2021)
  • Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage (2021)
  • Catch and Kill: The Podcast Tapes (2021)
  • Back on the Record with Bob Costas (2021–2022)
  • Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union (2021)
  • In the Same Breath (2021)
  • Small Town News: KPVM Pahrump (2021)
  • NYC Epicenters 9/11→2021½ (2021)
  • Level Playing Field (2021)
  • Nuclear Family (2021)
  • Four Hours at the Capitol (2021)
  • Dear Rider: The Jake Burton Story (2021)
  • A Choice of Weapons: Inspired by Gordon Parks (2021)
  • Simple as Water (2021)
  • Jagged (2021)
  • Black and Missing (2021)
  • DMX: Don't Try to Understand (2021)
  • Life of Crime 1984-2020 (2021)
  • Adrienne (2021)
  • Listening to Kenny G (2021)
  • The Forever Prisoner (2021)
  • The Slow Hustle (2021)
  • Mr. Saturday Night (2021)
  • Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street (2021)
  • The Murders at Starved Rock (2021)
  • Juice Wrld: Into the Abyss (2021)
  • Reopening Night (2021)
  • Insecure: The End (2021)
  • The Super Bob Einstein Movie (2021)
  • Terry Bradshaw: Going Deep (2022)
  • Icahn: The Restless Billionaire (2022)
  • Frederick Douglass: In Five Speeches (2022)
  • Undercurrent: The Disappearance of Kim Wall (2022)
  • Phoenix Rising (2022)
  • How to Survive a Pandemic (2022)
  • When We Were Bullies (2022)
  • Tony Hawk: Until The Wheels Fall Off (2022)
  • The Invisible Pilot (2022)
  • Spring Awakening: Those You've Known (2022)
  • George Carlin's American Dream (2022)
  • The Janes (2022)
  • Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes (2022)
  • Endangered (2022)
  • Mind Over Murder (2022)
  • We Met in Virtual Reality (2022)
  • Edge of the Earth (2022)
  • The Princess (2022)
  • Katrina Babies (2022)
  • Escape From Kabul (2022)
  • Hostages (2022)
  • 38 at the Garden (2022)
  • Mama's Boy (2022)
  • Year One: A Political Odyssey (2022)
  • A Tree of Life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting (2022)
  • Say Hey, Willie Mays! (2022)
  • Master of Light (2022)
  • Camilo: El Primer Tour De Mi Vida (2022)
  • 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony (2022)
  • The Howard Stern Interview: Bruce Springsteen (2022)
  • My So-Called High School Rank (2022)
  • Unveiled: Surviving La Luz del Mundo (2022)
  • Pelosi in the House (2022)
  • Shaq (2022)
  • Unveiled: Surviving La Luz del Mundo (2022)
  • Branson (2022)
  • Sex Diaries (2022)
  • This Place Rules (2022)
  • Game Theory with Bomani Jones (2022)
  • All That Breathes (2023)
  • All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (2023)
  • Jason Isbell: Running with Our Eyes Closed (2023)
  • Moonage Daydream (2023)
  • 1000% Me: Growing Up Mixed (2023)
  • Angel City (2023)
  • Love to Love You, Donna Summer (2023)
  • Being Mary Tyler Moore (2023)
  • Burden of Proof (2023)
  • How Do You Measure a Year? (2023)
  • The Stroll (2023)
  • Taylor Mac's 24-Decade History of Popular Music (2023)
  • Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed (2023)
  • The Golden Boy (2023)
  • Last Call: When a Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York (2023)
  • After the Bite (2023)
  • BS High (2023)
  • Telemarketers (2023)
  • Savior Complex (2023)
  • The Insurrectionist Next Door (2023)
  • Navajo Police: Class 57 (2023)
  • You Were My First Boyfriend (2023)
  • Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God (2023)
  • Murder in Boston: Roots, Rampage, and Reckoning (2023)
  • Time Bomb Y2K (2023)
  • Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project (2024)
  • God Save Texas (2024)
  • A Revolution on Canvas (2024)
  • The Truth vs. Alex Jones (2024)
Current and upcoming
Current
Upcoming
  • v
  • t
  • e
Current and upcoming
Current
Upcoming
Former
Series
1970s
debuts
1980s
debuts
1990s
debuts
2000s
debuts
2010s
debuts
2020s
debuts
Miniseries