Pubdate: Mon, 23 Jan 2017
Source: Los Angeles Times (CA)
Copyright: 2017 Los Angeles Times
Contact:  http://www.latimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/248
Author: Kimber Myers

LSD DOC 'THE SUNSHINE MAKERS' IS A MERRY TRIP THROUGH 1960S COUNTER-CULTURE

[photo] Tim Scully, left, and Nick Sand pictured in a graphic from the
documentary "The Sunshine Makers." (Nick Sand / Tim Scully / Passion
Pictures / FilmRise)

As its title suggests, "The Sunshine Makers" is probably the happiest,
most carefree drug documentary you're likely to see. The film explores the
people behind the most well-known strain of LSD, who produced millions of
doses in a single, sleep-deprived month. Their goal wasn't money, but
instead they wanted to save the world: If everyone took LSD, they would
experience the feelings of love and connectedness the hallucinogen
promises.

To tell the story of the two vastly different men behind the operation,
director Cosmo Feilding Mellen combines a mixture of archival footage from
the 1960s, talking-head interviews and video from a contemporary
California ranch where the partners reunite.

Tim Scully is an introvert from Berkeley who eats the same thing every
day; Nick Sand is a charming Lothario from Brooklyn. Funded by banking
heir Billy Hitchcock, the two men partnered to make the legendary "Orange
Sunshine" LSD. They joined forces with the "Brotherhood of Eternal Love,"
a.k.a. the "hippie mafia," to distribute the drug around the world.

"The Sunshine Makers" is less about the drama and danger of the drug scene
and more about these two fascinating characters and the people in their
orbit. Sand and Scully are engaging in both their past and current
versions, making for an absolutely enjoyable diversion. This documentary
meanders a bit as it goes between time periods, but it's never less than
entertaining and illuminating.
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