THE HERMIT
synopsis
When the news broke that a man had been hiding in the woods of Maine for 27 years, it turned into a media sensation. Overnight, the identity of the legendary “North Pond Hermit” was disclosed and he became the talk of the town.
The Hermit is a documentary about the extensive impact made by someone who spent a lifetime trying to erase any hint of his own existence.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKER
Lena Friedrich is a French-American filmmaker and writer.
CREDIT LIST
Directed and Produced by Lena Friedrich
Co Producers: Laura Snow And Aitor Mendilibar
Director Of Photography: Laura Snow
Sound Recordist: Aitor Mendilibar
Edited By: Lena Friedrich
Consulting Editor: Bob Eisenhardt
Story Consultants: Immy Humes & James Lecesne
Still Photographer: Aitor Mendilibar
Original Score: Fatrin Krajka & Gary Lucas (The Legenary Guitar Player Who Composed Jeff Buckley’s Grace)
Songs: Minnehonk Blues By Stan Keach And Dan Simons
Banjo In Hallowellfor By Stan Keach And Dan Simons
The North Pond Hermit By Troy R. Bennet
Music Supervisor: Benoit Muno
Interview by Zoe Potkin
I was randomly checking the news when I saw an alert about Christopher Knight’s arrest. It said something like “Man arrested after spending 27 years in the woods of Maine.” 27 years! That was approximately my age at the time. I had lived in different countries, worked different jobs, fallen in and out of love, and during all that time this man had not had a single human interaction. He had simply been living in the same campsite, lost in the woods.
The article I had stumbled upon included interviews with residents of the town into which Knight snuck in at night to steal what he needed to survive.
Two things raised my curiosity:
1. Every interviewee had a very strong opinion about Knight.
2. None of them had the same opinion.
But what truly prompted me to go to Maine with a small crew and shoot the film was a line from one of the victims of Knight’s robberies: “He doesn’t like tuna fish too much.” I thought that was just so funny!
I had contacted the president of the North Pond Association in advance and he generously introduced us to his community. It was pure luck that we ran into Carrol, the mustached man who guided us through the dense woods to Knight’s secret campsite. He found his way by looking for a particularly sharp stone or recognizing some broken branch in the middle of the forest. It was uncanny! Every media outlet, including the New York Times, had been trying to access the encampment and couldn’t find it. We were the only ones who filmed it before the location was disclosed.
In the comments section of the local newspapers, I noticed that people were reacting to the story very intensely, sometimes with great hostility. The town became polarized between those who saw “the hermit” as a villain and those who saw him as a folk hero of sorts. I realized that as with every legend, the true legend of “The North Pond Hermit” had many versions and interpretations. I tried to find characters who would provide personal layers of understanding to the enigma.
What makes Knight’s story so extraordinary is that it happened in the 21st century. Had the story happened in 1914 instead of 2014, it wouldn’t have been so remarkable and it wouldn’t have been sensationalized by social media or the international press.
It is only in contrast with today’s urban, hyper-connected normative lifestyle that living a solitary life in the woods becomes so puzzling. In the age of selfies, this man had not even seen his own reflection in a mirror! He did not care for productivity hacks or social media following, and he certainly didn’t suffer from fomo.
I think people react strongly to Knight because he radically rejected everything that is supposed to make us happy – meaningful relationships, a fulfilling career, material comfort – yet, he was content in the woods.
Also, dropping out of society is the ultimate, most radical act of freedom. It is inspiring for someone like me who feels slightly rebellious when putting my phone on airplane mode for a couple of hours.
While the epidemic has shown how connected and interdependent we are on a global level, confinement has revealed how resourceful we can be individually.
Suddenly, we discover all the things we are capable of making, fixing, cooking. We also realize all the things we can live without and that can be very liberating.
Knight’s story expands the limits of what we considered possible for a human. Perhaps this can give us the perspective to examine our own lifestyles and reflect on modern society as we enter the post-Covid world.
I feel very comfortable with solitude. It is a restorative state for me, but I get energized and inspired by people. It’s a fine balance.
The way in which I relate the most to Knight is not so much his love for solitude, but his struggle to fulfill social expectations. I find it pretty hard and boring to do what you are supposed to do. My way of dealing with that is not to escape expectations, but to play with them.