Sarobia: Sanctuary in the Park

The film, significantly aided by Paul Michael Bergeron, the author of 'Sarobia: Sanctuary for Human Beings, Birds, and Animals', gives you a long and insightful glimpse into a particular chapter of history. Sarobia is a vast expanse of flora and fauna that extends for as long as the eye can see along the Delaware river in Pennsylvania. Now, to understand its significance, it is essential to be acquainted with the history of the estate, which is precisely what the short film does - making the viewer familiar with the space in a manner they might not have anticipated.

Owned by Robert Restalrig Logan, the last-remaining, direct descendant of James Logan, William Penn's seventeenth-century secretary in Colonial America, the place was once infamous and notoriously known for debauchery, witchcraft and sometimes even cat-worshipping. The short film, however, breaks down the ludicrousness of each of these assumptions, to instead reveal an endeavor realized by Logan and his wife, Sara, giving rise to the portmanteau Sarobia, that would eventually come to become a haven for artists, theatre troops, book binders, animals of different kinds, and so on.

The film's narrative has especial relevance in contemporary times where Sarobia is now undergoing a restoration of sorts by volunteers, after having seen decades of abandonment and dilapidation. Once a thriving art colony, an estate that was unusual and quirky, but interesting and perhaps even inspiring in several ways, the sanctuary had been denied recognition or maintenance of any kind for years following Logan's death. A subject like Bergeron thus becomes the ideal voice to introduce the uninitiated to Sarobia, while his passion and affinity translates beautifully on screen, making the film successful in conveying its intent.