#54, 4/21 – Punishment Park (1971) (dvd)

A couple weeks ago I skimmed through my Netflix recommendations to find something potentially interesting to watch over the weekend. The film I found most interesting was Punishment Park, whose synopsis read:


As the Vietnam War escalates, massive public protest against the conflict surges in America. To control the leftist threat, a civilian tribunal passes sentence on groups of dissidents: hippies, draft dodgers, pacifists. Made to play a game resembling “Capture the Flag” in a remote desert while being hunted by the forces of law and order, the prisoners must fight for their lives in this searing pseudo-documentary from filmmaker Peter Watkins.

And all I can say after seeing it is Wow. It may well be my favorite speculative fiction film yet. And not just because 35+ years after its initial release, it seems awfully prescient. I just find it powerful. Unsubtle, perhaps, but a strong, thoroughly unsettling piece of work made by a committed cast and crew. It’s a poster child for what I love about independent film.