Search - The Workshop on DVD

A Naked Smorgasbord

Amos Lassen | Little Rock, Arkansas | 12/28/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

""The Workshop"

A Naked Smorgasbord

Amos Lassen

"The Workshop" is unlike any film I have ever seen--it is a no clothes documentary that challenges the rules of modern society by going beyond the boundaries of what is considered normal sexual behavior (is there such a thing?).
Somewhere near San Francisco there is a wooded area and a group of people that are there have consented to take part in a ten day workshop which will lead them to a higher personal truth. The workshop is led by Paul Lowe and after he introduces everyone to each other, the participants take off their clothing and remain naked.
This is an intense experience and after the initial shock of the nudity wears off, there people are supposed to feel much freer. Supposedly one has to be naked to seek honesty (or to sell a film). Jamie Morgan is the director of this true "skin flick" which looks at everything from alien visits, to honesty, to sexuality and inner demons and there is a lot to see here (including some very sexual encounters). I understand that Morgan meant for this to be a very personal film as it looks at human sexuality and the need for self-discovery. However, for me at least, the naked bodies were somewhat distracting. There are some scenes that will shock--like the orgy and a woman stroking a man but this is an interesting look at a new age philosophy which gets lost with the clothes that the actors shed.
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Less than meets the eye

tamiii | San Juan Capistrano, Ca. United States | 04/19/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"You have to be from the seventies to really appreciate this film. It is hard to believe but we used to think this way. Paul, the guru, appears to be a genuinely kind man--sensitive enough not to push people when they don't need pushing but strong enough to say when enough is enough. Nevertheless, you must be kind when viewing this self-indulgent flick. Here, are people stripped (quite literally) and trying to cope with what turns out to be their own deamons. Nevertheless, these straight people reach their limits--and while there is one gay fellow exploring his world--in the end, their limits are, well, limited--which is to say, it is kind of a chick flick which some may find daring and others, well, interesting."

NEW DOCUMENTARY CHARTS A COURSE FOR SELF-DISCOVERY

Thom Browning | New York, NY | 02/06/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Few films take on issues of sexuality and personal growth with as much integrity and clarity as Jamie Morgan's THE WORKSHOP. A work of such honesty is a rarity in the world of documentary.

Morgan adopts a confessional and intimate tone that allows viewers to get deeply inside the minds and souls of the participants of the titular workshop. Spanning the course of a ten-day program in self-discovery, the film provides us with close-up portraits of a set of diverse characters, all of whom stand both literally and metaphorically naked before the camera.

If you have ever considered where your own boundaries lie, or if you have ever been curious as to what desires and fears hide within you, this film will provoke you to consider those questions with greater insight. Beyond the implications of the subject matter, the sheer sincerity of the execution makes THE WORKSHOP a film well worth owning."

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Ben L. Rushing | 01/25/2010

(2 out of 5 stars)

"This had some good shots of naked people, but not enough and really boring to watch. A lot of the dialogue was bland as well. There should have been more sex scenes and older women in this too. They followed a pathetic single guy around and it was boring. He gets propositioned for sex the first day that he is ther by a decent looking woman who says that she likes his penis. Nothing happens that we see, except him crying and the old guru chanting some jive BS about things. Very hippy stupid. Should have been all about sex and nudity and nothing more. should have followed a woman around."