When two outsiders arrive on an isolated intentional community, seventeen-year old Anahita begins to question her role at home, and what a future out in the world-at-large could be.

Written and captured by Alec Tibaldi in his directorial debut, Spiral Farm (2019) is a coming of age story about a young woman facing the growing pains of that liminal period between childhood and adulthood. Premiering in 2019 at the blockbuster predictor, Slamdance Festival, Spiral Farm released to critic buzz due to its wholly relatable narrative and its star Piper De Palma (yes, daughter of Brian De Palma of Scarface fame) in her feature debut.

17-year old Anahita (De Palma) is a mature, spiritual being, raised by her mother Dianic (Amanda Plummer) in an “intentional community” – a planned commune designed around teamwork and community. Their community is comprised of a group of warm, unconventional characters who depend upon and help each other emotionally, spiritually, and physically on their sustainable permaculture farm. However, when two outsiders, a father Maurizio (Cosimo Fusco) and his virile young son Theo (Teo Halm) enter the community, Anahita finds herself on a collision course with the outside world, as Maurizio and Theo encourage her dreams of becoming a dancer; she had since been a dancer in the dark, secretly grooving to hip hop in the woods. “Hita” goes through a Rumspringa of sorts, venturing into the city to attend a dance audition while also landing herself in a sexy situation, an aspect of growing up she had previously shied away from. Outside of the safety of the walls of Spiral Farm and the comfort of her family – transient sister Sara (Jade Fusco), needy nephew Ocean (Landen Beattie), and eccentric mother “Di” – her dreams finally seem feasible, but life would not be the same.

Hippies live again on the 1960s-esque commune of Spiral Farm. Shot in some back hills of Southern California with a brief interlude into LA, Spiral Farm addresses aspects of community, obligation, identity, sexuality, and isolation from the influence of today’s world. I must admit that with the way the real world is at the moment I personally would not mind taking a sabbatical to this place. The film succeeds in portraying the simplicity of commune living, though in my opinion glosses over any conflicts that could pop up when people run off to create their own utopia (like TV show The Path, or Together (2000) do) and could have put more effort into fleshing out this setting. This movie is very focused on the interplay of relationships, which is great, however, I wish there were more content about the workings of the community; I would have appreciated more exploration of the farm itself, which would have also helped to contrast against city life, which the Spiral Farm community seems to demonize.

Tibaldi worked with a budget of under $1 million to put this drama piece together, working closely with star and personal friend, Piper De Palma, on the story arch for her relatable, beautiful, and somewhat tragic character, Anahita. As she sojourns towards the freedom that a fulfilled life offers, she faces the challenges of assimilating into a pretty much alien community and lifestyle to her own, a story-line many can relate to. I do love a dream sequence/trick ending, and we get a pretty good one from Spiral Farm, forcing the movie into a brave and not exactly optimistic ending instead of the usual resolved or otherwise feel-good ending we typically get from coming of age movies. Where Spiral Farm mainly succeeds is in its casting, as the women of this family certainly stand out. Mother Di played by scene commander Amanda Palmer is both aloof and yet somehow overbearing as she guilts her youngest daughter into staying the communal course. Anahita, portrayed by the enchanting newcomer but old soul Piper De Palma. Eldest sister and absentee mother, Saha, played by the alluring Jade Fusco, rounds off this trio who play off each other’s quirks so well and shake their head at each other with such exasperated understanding that it sometimes seems like they are actually related.

This movie could have upped the intensity or conflict within the narrative to up the ante, but its quiet and close-framed shots on a handheld camera at least make for intimate viewing. Follow the call of the communal drums in Alec Tibaldi’s slow-paced but authentic, coming of age feature.