(Credits: Far Out / Columbia Pictures)

Even though it feels as if we’re going backwards, there was once a time when self-examination entered the public sphere and became a subtle trademark of wealth and privilege, with a select group of high-society folks using their powers to invest in something deeper than stocks and Sothebies auctions—themselves. Therapy was no longer taboo for those who didn’t really need it, with some people using it as a facade of self-awareness and a method of deflecting accountability (because sometimes, your shitty behaviour is actually not your fault and entirely related to trauma you endured after your hamster died 15 years ago). An active involvement in current issues, especially politics, became trendy, even if this only meant donating to non-offensive causes related to almost-extinct tree frogs and turning a blind eye to anything more pressing (the brand of moral compass carried by most celebrities).

It’s a specific type of performative social poison that has slowly swept the internet in recent years, despite the fact the beginnings of this movement weren’t always so hollow. Many people feel nostalgic for the past, and perhaps the swinging sixties are most unanimously agreed as the ultimate “time to be alive” that we were never a part of. It was a time of social change and political upheaval—man went to the moon while Black folks were fighting for civil rights in the United States. Another wave of feminism made its sweep, and counter-culture movements emerged that permanently changed the creative landscape and opened up new avenues of expression, namely the invention of the mini skirt.

While the times were genuinely changing, there were many people who were affected by this social upheaval in a unique way, cushioned by their own privilege and embracing this new-age philosophy in a way that other people couldn’t. There were many white, upper-class Americans who welcomed this era of enlightenment with open arms, particularly resonating with one aspect of this public reckoning that encouraged sexual freedom and liberation, expanding the confines of their bedroom walls and breaking free from limiting romantic norms. Despite the vast number of films that emerged from this movement, there is one in particular that captures the many joys and contradictions of this cultural shift, the luminous Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice.

Directed in 1969 by Paul Mazursky, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice is set at the turn of the century and the beginning of a sexual coming-of-age, following a couple called Bob and Carol who attend a group therapy session at ‘The Institute’ for a weekend and find themselves surprisingly touched and changed by the experience. After returning to their home in Los Angeles, the couple enthusiastically share their experiences at the retreat with Ted and Alice, with their newfound philosophy causing rifts in their friendship as they embrace the values of the future, while their friends express their unease over their new way of living.

The film is one of the ultimate sex comedies of the sixties, with an existentialist undercurrent that interweaves ideology from both pools of thought. Mazursky explores the validity and consequences of this philosophy in a frank and straightforward way by creating a film explicitly about sex. At the time, this was practically unheard of, with previous sex comedies of the sixties looking at the act in a much more covert and discreet way, through a male-centric and slightly childish lens. Although sex was being approached slyly, many audiences couldn’t believe that they were seeing allusions to sexual subject matter onscreen, slowly opening up a whole new genre of cinema.

This paved the way for Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, which was matter-of-fact in its depiction of the sexual revolution. In particular, this new-age philosophy wasn’t exclusive to hippies or ‘free thinkers’ but included the wealthy elite of America. Those who had the money and status could afford experimentation within a previously taboo remit without being judged, and regardless, they were seen as classy symbols of modernity for adopting such progressive ideas.

From the opening scene of the film, ‘The Institute’ becomes a symbol of this new-age way of thinking and the blossoming era of sexual freedom, with the beginning shots showing a picturesque cabin in which people walk around and lounge outdoors entirely naked. At first, Bob and Carol are extremely doubtful about the therapy, exchanging mocking glances as they judge the other couples for being indoctrinated by this bohemian mindset. However, after engaging in an all-night exercise while being coached by some kind of spiritual healer, the couple find themselves unexpectedly and profoundly moved by their experience, breaking down into tears and letting go of their inhibitions. After this point, the couple becomes completely besotted by what they have learned at the retreat, embracing a new way of life that revolves around radical honesty and openness in expressing and acting on your desires. Bob and Carol are irrevocably changed, and after returning home, we see the rift that this causes in their social circle.

While everything seems fine and dandy, with Bob and Carol viewing life with rose-tinted glasses—which becomes distinctly annoying to their friends Ted and Alice—the conflict of the film arises after Bob cheats on Carol while on a work trip, and in line with their radical honesty, he decides to tell Carol about it. This highlights an interesting divide in their relationship and differing commitment towards this philosophy. Carol reacts completely mildly to this news and then praises Bob for his honesty, viewing it as a “gift” that he has shared with her. Naturally, Bob is flummoxed, and, at first, he reacts with hostility towards her reaction, not believing it to be real. Afterwards, he aligns with her perspective and allows himself to feel no regret over his mistake because the biggest mistake would be to be dishonest about it.

From this point onwards, Bob and Carol come across as an annoyingly perfect couple—completely infatuated with each other and thriving in spite of Bob’s honest mistake. However, while they are prospering in their new-age philosophy, Ted and Alice become increasingly disturbed by their enlightened state. Finally, hearing their friends talk openly about Bob’s infidelity creates a giant crack in their friendship and shatters their previous way of looking at the world.

Ted and Alice represent a more traditional couple, entrenched in old-fashioned ideas and threatened by the looming ideals of modernity that threaten their entire way of life. But after the pair have an argument about Bob’s infidelity and Carol’s disturbing frankness in discussing it, we realise that their traditional values are more limiting than they are comfortable, with Ted having a comical tantrum about their stagnant sex life and expressing a desire to reanimate their physical relationship.

‘The Institute’ becomes a reflection of the times they are living in, with Ted and Alice falling behind as this new way of thinking spreads through their social circles. This new philosophy gives Carol a new sense of purpose and vitality, firmly committing to these ideas and using them to take back power. Bob is a documentarian, and Carol is a housewife, and the emergence of these ideas lends her a new way of being and a lease on life, with Carol engaging in her own affair and frankly telling Bob about it. At first, Bob seemingly adopts this philosophy like a fad diet, with his early conflict with Carol about her reaction to his infidelity, perhaps showing it to be hollow and disingenuous.

Over the course of the film, both couples discuss their values and thoughts on monogamy, with Ted eventually cracking and sharing his almost sexual encounter on a business trip with Bob, describing the excitement he felt over this illicit almost-affair. Interestingly, both men have economic freedom through their ability to work and have careers, while their wives do not due to the gender norms and expectations that they stay at home to care for the children.

Perhaps Carol latched onto this ideology so intensely and became sincere in adopting this philosophy because of the novelty of the freedom previously not granted with the restrictions of fulfilling a traditional role in the family unit. For Carol, it was a way to break free from the confines of a heterosexual marriage and a life confined to the home by having sex with men who weren’t her husband. It imbued a sense of fluidity into an otherwise rigid system, a fluidity that she perhaps needed more than her husband, who was able to bend the rules while travelling abroad and going on work trips, able to indulge in sexual temptations outside of the home.

This is an idea that becomes particularly prevalent towards the end of the film, with Alice attending a therapy session after being disturbed by her friend’s exercise of sexual freedom and deciding to air her concerns with a therapist. During the session, they discuss her discomfort around sex in general, revealing Alice to be extremely sexually repressed and most in need of liberation. At one point during the session, when discussing her sexual feelings, she accidentally refers to Bob instead of her husband. While she laughs it away as a Freudian slip, it points to a larger idea that arises in the final scene of the film.

Towards the very end, both couples go for a weekend away to watch a concert, with all four meeting in a hotel room beforehand. This is perhaps the most revealing moment of the entire film, with Bob and Carol discussing Carol’s recent affair, causing an uproar from Alice at their casual indifference before Ted explodes and shares the fact that he also recently cheated on Alice. Everything comes into the open, with the mood souring as both couples simmer in this revelation that Ted has finally moved over to the dark side.

Then, just when you expect Alice’s head to implode, she launches into a crazed tirade about how the four of them should sleep together. Seemingly, as though this is the ultimate idea she has been secretly harbouring this whole time, she suddenly exclaims, “I am being honest! I am doing what I feel like doing! I feel like doing what we came up here to do! Orgy! Have an orgy!”

And finally, this is the sexual catharsis that Alice has been silently yearning for this whole time, honestly expressing her secret desire to sleep with Bob and break free from the stifling confines of her traditional marriage, one that reflects the same structure as Bob and Carol’s, with Alice also being a housewife while her husband is office-bound.

Through this film, Mazursky explores the unique offer of sexual liberation and non-monogamy made available to Carol and Alice, allowing them to expand the confines of their homes and empowering them to challenge the rigidity of assigned gender roles. During the final scene, Alice finally cracks and reveals what she has been repressing, unable to express her sexuality until Carol’s breakthrough caused a crack in her facade of the traditional housewife, feeling shame over her desires and openly sharing what she wants from her sex life.

However, as much as they want to explore this avenue of sexual expression and act on the values they so desperately want to embody, the final scene offers a more cynical interpretation of their ability to maintain this philosophy. After both couples jump into bed together, Mazursky then cuts to them leaving the hotel room and heading to the concert, ending with a dream-like sequence where the four of them walk outside and find themselves in a huge group of people engaging in the same therapy exercise as in the very beginning of the film.

It links it back to ‘The Institute’ and this idea of connection and expression. However, by ending on this surrealist tone, it almost seems to mock their philosophy and how they have created a bubble for themselves. We end in this circle of strangers who gaze into each other’s eyes and hold hands, slowly waking up to the delusion of these ideas. Because ultimately, they can play around with non-monogamy and use it as an opportunity to excuse infidelity, but even in all of their enlightened glory, there’s a line they just can’t cross. The idea of sleeping together is one thing, but they cannot bring themselves to complete the physical act itself.

It points to a very nihilistic message about the differences between men and women in expressing this sexual freedom, with Bob and Ted being able to do this without consequence through their working lives, something that they can continue regardless of this philosophy. However, for Carol and Alice, the framework of their everyday lives does not allow it, with both women perhaps needing the ideas of ‘The Institute’ in order to find a new way of resisting the confines of their lives. Perhaps unknowingly, Carol treats it as an exercise in resistance, with Alice taking more time to uncover her repressed sexual desires before erupting with honesty at her sexual attraction towards Bob. While this movement is an opportunity for Bob and Ted to cheat without consequence and indulge in their sexual fantasies, it is a chance for Carol and Alice to experience the same kind of freedom without being shamed for it, allowing them to break free from the gender roles that normalise a life devoted to the home with no emphasis on their needs or desires outside of it.

While Mazrusky explores the potential of this philosophy and its power to bring people together, he also paints it as an unsustainable and futile pursuit that cannot be sustained, with both couples initially looking at each other with curiosity and excitement when walking into the bedroom, before the illusion is shattered by the act of kissing. A kiss almost makes it too intimate, too real. And while we don’t know whether they had sex, Mazursky seemingly implies that they didn’t by showing each character looking at the other with a look of slight awkwardness and apprehension. As though the reality of what they were about to do had finally dawned on them, ultimately faced with the limitations of their philosophy and the end of their sexual tether.

There’s a tone of innocence and resignation in the final scenes of Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice because, for all their talk, sometimes it is just more fun to indulge in the idea of doing something. And when the theoretical becomes a reality, the magical freedom of these imagined possibilities slowly fades away, bidding them a return to the familiarity of their old lives.