Strength through Joy ... and Hippie Heaven

Fascinating, quirky Australian film which is faithful to the spirit of the Peter Carey novel. Barry Otto (before this better known as an Oz theatre performer, & after this better known as Miranda's father!) is wonderfully memorable as the manic ad man Harry Joy who goes through a "death experience" & has an epiphany. He leaves the shallow, faux world of advertising & city existence & escapes to the bush where he finds liberation, marijuana & one special hippie girl. Sort of a modern-day Dante's Inferno with Harry experiencing all three ... heaven, purgatory & hell.. Footnote: After Bliss director Ray Lawrence went back to filming commercials & didn't make another feature for 16 years (this sort of thing only happens in Australia!).