Punishment Park

This pseudo-documentary satirizes the polarized political climate in President Nixon's America. A group of hippies, protest singers, chronically unemployed people, civil rights activists, and radical feminists are sentenced by a tribunal to choose between a long period of preventive detention or Punishment Park. The latter is a 60-mile, three-day march across the desert, the final destination marked by the American flag. Under a scorching sun, those sentenced are driven along by police officers and soldiers. Camera crews film the process, while a commentator provides information on the temperature, the distance covered, and the time. Meanwhile, in a tent in the desert, the tribunal is busy judging the next group of "defendants who are guilty of conspiracy to undermine national security." Heated debates just confirm the gaping chasm between idealistic young people and the people who pay taxes. "You haven't got the first idea about love with your love-ins," a housewife from the Silent Majority for a Unified America says to a peace activist. In the meantime, the tension in the desert is approaching boiling point. In response to the violent conduct of the guards, the group polarizes into militants and pacifists. makes a strikingly authentic impression thanks to its Direct Cinema style; it uses a highly mobile camera, suggestive parallel editing, and lots of improvisation. A seldom-seen historical document that still comes across as refreshing and nonconformist today.