Basic Human Nature

THE RAFT (A-minus) - This is a deeply personal visit with six women and one man who took part in a psycho-social experiment, crossing the Atlantic on the Acali, a glorified houseboat, in summer 1973. Led by Santiago Genoves, a Mexican anthropologist, the crew consisted of five men and six women, led by Swedish sea captain Maria Bjornstam. They navigated from Spain to Mexico.

Trivialized in the media as a cult aboard a sex boat, the mission was the brainchild of Genoves, who wanted a pure setting in which to chart the interactions of a random subset of humanity. It didn't help that he chose attractive young adults and encouraged their most animalistic instincts. His diaries are voiced by an actor, and extensive archival footage is included courtesy of two photographers who were on board.

Debut director Marcus Lindeen builds a replica of the craft and invites all six women and one surviving man to relive their experience and share their stories. The women exhibit a deep connection at times, a unique bond 43 years later. Fe Seymour, in particular -- the only black woman on the mission -- offers rich insights, including the revelation that she was haunted by the voices of earlier generations of slaves who took that same route to North America. Not unlike "Spaceship Earth" in its subject matter, "The Raft" truly digs deep into the human condition and succeeds in telling a riveting tale.

BAD EDUCATION (C+) - This HBO film chooses camp over realism as it relives the turn-of-the-millennium graft among the top administrators running a school district in Roslyn, New York. Hugh Jackman does fine work as the vain superintendent living a lie, but Allison Janney is just clownish (like her unfortunate turn as the mom in "I, Tonya") as the assistant superintendent aiding and abetting the embezzlement that brought them both down.

Geraldine Viswanathan does a fine subtle turn as the student journalism who exposes the scam, and Ray Romano is just OK as the dithering school board president. Jackman swans, Janney mugs, and the story clips along at a bloated 108 minutes. Cory Finley ("Thoroughbreds") does yeoman work as a sophomore director. None of it feels essential.

BONUS TRACK
The trailer for "The Raft":