Living Together

This documentary offers an intimate and often unvarnished look at the lives of several individuals and groups navigating various forms of communal living in London during the early 1970s. It explores different social experiments, from shared housing arrangements to more radical communes, highlighting the challenges and rewards of collective existence. The film captures the idealism and the realities of people trying to forge new ways of living together.

Upon its release, 'Living Together' was noted for its observational style and its candid portrayal of counter-cultural lifestyles. Critics acknowledged its significant ethnographic value in documenting a specific social movement and its participants' attempts to challenge conventional norms. While praised for its authenticity, some found its meandering structure to be less engaging than a more tightly plotted narrative.

• Praised for its authentic and unvarnished portrayal of communal living.

• Recognized for its sociological and anthropological insight into 1970s alternative lifestyles.

• Some noted its loose narrative structure as a minor drawback.

Google audience: Audience reception is not widely documented, but the film is appreciated by those interested in social history and documentary filmmaking for its raw look at utopian experiments of the era.

Peter Whitehead, the director, was a key figure in the British documentary scene of the 1960s and 70s, known for his films capturing the spirit of the times, including 'Wholly Communion' (1965).