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The Natural State

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In 1989, Julie Thayer, a wealthy mother from New York City, went to the Swiss Alps to have her ego destroyed. The man she chose for the job was U.G. Krishnamurti, a radical Indian anti-guru who refused followers, refused donations, and told everyone who came to him to go away. Julie stayed — and filmed everything. The Natural State is built from that archive, hundreds of hours unseen for decades, and from the private journals Julie kept as U.G.'s psychological "blasting" carried her from states of ecstasy to the brink of devastation. The film's executive producers, Jane Campion and legendary Indian filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, both knew U.G. personally. Bhatt spent decades at his side and wrote his biography; Campion modeled Top of the Lake's guru GJ — Holly Hunter's enigmatic mystic — on her late friend.

Critics Reviews

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Daniel Howat Next Best Picture 1d
7/10
The documentary is both engrossing and unsatisfying, never giving the audience an easy answer to what Krishnamurti found, didn’t find, or was able to describe. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Cast & Crew

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Matthew Dougherty

Director

Matthew Dougherty

Producer

Keith Wilson

Producer

Robin Schwartz

Producer

Jane Campion

Executive Producer

Mahesh Bhatt

Executive Producer
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The Natural State

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Movie Info

Synopsis In 1989, Julie Thayer, a wealthy mother from New York City, went to the Swiss Alps to have her ego destroyed. The man she chose for the job was U.G. Krishnamurti, a radical Indian anti-guru who refused followers, refused donations, and told everyone who came to him to go away. Julie stayed — and filmed everything. The Natural State is built from that archive, hundreds of hours unseen for decades, and from the private journals Julie kept as U.G.'s psychological "blasting" carried her from states of ecstasy to the brink of devastation. The film's executive producers, Jane Campion and legendary Indian filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, both knew U.G. personally. Bhatt spent decades at his side and wrote his biography; Campion modeled Top of the Lake's guru GJ — Holly Hunter's enigmatic mystic — on her late friend.
Director
Matthew Dougherty
Producer
Matthew Dougherty, Keith Wilson, Robin Schwartz
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Runtime
1h 40m
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