One of Netflix’s latest documentaries, ‘Have a Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics’, is an 80-minute-long journey into the looney world of psychedelic drugs and the people who love to take them.
The film explores all aspects of using hallucinogens – from the benefits and pitfalls, to where the drugs came from and where they could be headed, as well as their impact on people, society and life in general.
The film starts with interviews with famous drug enthusiasts who break down their first experiences with different edibles designed to induce hallucinations. This is interlaced with vintage footage of educator Tommy Roe offering insight into the different ways one can experience a drug-induced hallucination.
The host, Nick Offerman, interjects with interesting factoids throughout the film, where guests explain what led to a particular moment of consuming mind-altering substances, what their initial thoughts were during the ‘trip’, and subsequently, how the whole experience changed the way they look at life.
Author Deepak Chopra speaks about experimenting with hallucinogens as a means of exploring and understanding consciousness, while singer Sting refers to an “immensely rewarding experience full of love, support, and a sense of buoyancy . . . a religious sense of connection to the planet,” after ingesting dried peyote (a small, spineless cactus with psychoactive alkaloids) and then having a realisation about life and death while high.
The film also features Ben Stiller, ASAP Rocky and others who share their insights and advice.
We get to understand some of the history of well-known drugs, such as psilocybin in mushrooms, LSD, ayahuasca, DMT and others.
From flying across the continent to be initiated into a peyote cult to barters in sketchy alleys, it also shows us the many different lengths humanity will go to to achieve certain feelings.
Whether you support the use of these substances or not, this film gives you a clear picture of why we as people consume them in the first place and what can come out of opening up your mind.
The whole film is easy to sit through and has funny and serious moments, but overall it’s a light-hearted look at a popular phenomenon among the rich and famous of the Western world.
The documentary itself is like a trip, so let loose a little and go along for the ride.
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