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The Story
Berkeley is the story of Ben Sweet (Nick Roth), an eighteen year old middleclass boy who comes to UC Berkeley in 1968 to study accounting and avoid the draft. There begins an odyssey through sex, drugs, rock and roll, and political activism which turns his conservative world upside down, and leaves him on a path of exploration and self-discovery, far from the life of his father, Sy (Henry Winkler).
At the onset, Ben has but one distinguishing ability, an uncanny ability to play rock and roll guitar. In striking contrast to his nerdy demeanor, Ben can emulate Hendrix and Clapton, and is immediately mentored by Mishkin (Sebastian Tillinger), whose dad is a compatriot in the floorcovering business with Ben's dad. Mishkin, older and wiser, brings him into his house on Adeline Street with a drummer, Blue (Tom Morello of 'Audioslave' and 'Rage Against the Machine' in his acting debut), and a keyboard player, Buddy (Wade Allain-Marcus).
Ben soon meets Sadie, (Laura Jordan)a drably-dressed egghead, who loves Robert Frost and Carl Jung, and who seduces Ben on their first walk home from class, revealing a surprising sensuality and striking vulnerability beneath her shapeless poncho and political ramblings. However, she quickly loses interest in the innocent Ben, who appears unready to join in her radical investigation of life.
She leaves Ben, the naïf, confused, but with a hunger to find something his life has heretofore been missing. Passion.
Another youth, the militant Henry Wolf (Jake Newton), who leads Ben a step closer to his destiny. A childhood pal, Henry has become a Marxist, espousing revolution, explaining to his friend that this capitalist system will always create unjust wars and inquities between the classes. Though Ben tries to argue from his dad's point of view, that of a poor emigrant who, through hard-work, built his own little business, Henry casts serious doubts on our protagonists future.
Henry's "You're just gonna get married and let them bomb whoever the hell they want as long as you can get gas for your Plymouth," rings in Ben's ears as he collaborates with the young radical to write original songs of protest.
Henry, however, also parts ways with Ben after seducing him in much the same way Sadie did. Therefore, it's not completely a surprise that those two take up together as lovers, though Ben doesn't find this out until later.
Ben is now on his own path, his "road taken" by the poet, Professor Hawkins (Bonnie Bedelia) who teaches him that if he truly wants to be a writer, he must write.
Despite doubting his own ability, Ben likes "the idea of being a Writer," filling notebooks with poetry, songs, and notes from his stream of consciousness. This, of course, must be kept from his dad, who believes "Poetry is for fairies" and who imagines the day when his son will join him in his small carpet store.
Ben's third seduction is performed by Alice, (Sarah Carter), the daughter of Berkeley's Dean. The exotic young beauty embraces Ben, imagining he's more left-wing than he actually is, enjoying the way his radicalism antagonizes her father, with whom she has much neurotic material to work through. Her sensuality and loveliness also disappear as she ultimately betrays Ben's affections for a fling with a mature movie star.
Ben, again, must rely on the fellows he lives with, and finds a fruitful collaboration with Blue, the mysterious percussionist who, in jail after their arrest for demonstrating against the War, reveals himself as a Viet Nam War Vet who further demystifies Ben's feelings about his government and his future. With Blue, Ben writes 'The Stars of Orion,' a rock anthym that synthesizes his rebellious anger and feelings about the oppressive status quo with a passionate unifying intensity and optimism, performing it in Golden Gate Park with his pals in front of hundreds of kindred spirits protesting the Kent State shootings.
He returns home, feeling like he's "done something meaningful" for the first time in his life. He finds a determined Sadie waiting for him. She boldly avers they should be together. This time he acknowledges his feelings for her and they reconnect, though this time as equals. But just as their love blossoms, Reagan shuts down the schools, effectively turning the student movement into chaos.
On top of this, Ben's dad, Sy, shows up and tries to bring Ben, and his sister, Susie (Sarah Bibb) back to Los Angeles. Ben stands up to his dad, but in a tender moment of understanding, father and son come back together. Sy tells him, "I'm with you Benny. I don't understand you, but I'm with you."
Ben introduces his dad to his woman-friend, Sadie, but as his dad drives away, he senses that something is wrong. "I'm pregnant."
The baby's father is not Ben, but Henry, who soon shows up, running from the police for setting fire to the Bank of America in Isla Vista.
Ben and Sadie listen to Henry's story of how the police killed his compatriot, then Ben helps him escape. They embrace at dawn across from the Golden Gate Bridge, knowing they may never see each other again.
Ben returns to his room to find Sadie waiting for him. He tells her he's been thinking, that if she has the baby he'll be with her, but Sadie tells him it's too late. While he was gone she's read his journal, finding he doesn't love her, but Alice. Though Ben tells her that he no longer feels that way, Sadie rushes out.
Ben follows her, unsure of anything but his feelings for her. He refuses to leave her alone, spontaneously beginning to tell her a rather lengthy joke about a whale and an old Jewish woman. Though he tells it poorly, he wins Sadie over. They embrace. They don't know what the future holds, but they hold each other.
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