Living Community: An Introduction to the Bruderhof

Via interviews and segments filmed at work, school and play, we learn that Bruderhof ("place of brothers") communities began in Germany in 1920 as places of spiritual and material sharing where Christian "families and single men and women strive to practice love, commitment, and accountability to each other, love of enemies, mutual service, nonviolence, and faithfulness in marriage." Now consisting of six communities in the northeastern U.S. and two communities in England, the 2,500 members of the Bruderhof do share everything, but their lifestyle is not as Amish-cum-socialist as it sounds: these groups do use electricity and mechanization, and membership is completely voluntary (in fact, children attend public high school and are encouraged to explore other ways of life before deciding if they want to remain when they're adults). This program's interviews and vignettes do a creditable job of revealing the joys and challenges of a completely shared community, but, as with many short tapes, we come away with more questions than answers. Is it mandatory that women and girls wear dresses and scarves, as most of them seemed to? Must all members eat only in communal dining halls? How does a "non-indigenous" adult join the group? Where exactly are the eight Bruderhof communities? However, since it does bill itself as an introduction, these omissions don't necessarily negate the tape's other insights and revelations. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Glaser)