By Gregory Crofton
Director Zachary Heinzerling (Cutie and the Boxer) assembled this three-part documentary is one of the best I’ve seen. I watched it in one sitting despite being bored with the over-done “cult documentary.”
It is a devastating look into the world of Lawrence Ray, a long-time con man who gained access to the campus of Sarah Lawrence College through his daughter, a student there.
But what makes this different than any other cult film I’ve watched? It delivers audio and video recordings that show exactly how Ray accomplished his mind control of this group of students. It is hard to watch at times.
Ray, whose last name is actually Grecco, resembles the Kurtz character from “Apocalypse Now” played by Marlon Brando. The longer you watch “Stolen Youth” the more it seems like a true-to-life version of Coppola’s war film.
“Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence” began streaming on Hulu on Feb. 9th. Check out the trailer below.