Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh] cult in the ’80s, when I was a really little kid. So, when they said this role was to play a cult leader, I thought that would be a real challenge.”“The Clearing,” based on a novel by JP Pomare, is a fictional story that’s partly based on the real-life Australian cult The Family, which operated from the 1960s through the 1980s.In the show, the group is called The Kindred and is led by Adrienne (Otto), who considers herself to be “the mother” of a large group of kidnapped blond children. Adrienne rarely gets her hands dirty and has adult minions, including Tamsin (Kate Mulvany), who abduct and discipline the children on her behalf. She’s also helped by her friend, Dr.