Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief (2015)

An Exercise In Nonsense

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

I'd give it a 9 out of 10, because it's a truly amazing documentary covering all aspects of Scientology in a simplistic way for everyone to understand. The effort HBO put into releasing this documentary is amazing and I recommend this documentary all the time to friends, especially to people who don't know what Scientology is.

This appeared on the Sky Arts channel which is kinda odd for this documentary to air but anyhow, it was very informative even though it was long. It really got into the detail of this Hubbard guy who was a Sci-Fi writer and pretty much he set up the Scientology religion in order to avoid to pay his taxes. He was really clever but yet a crook who just managed to find a way to brainwash people including the tax people and worship him as the big guy of the pack.This is my first time seeing Tom Cruise and John Travolta in the Scientology events that take place in some big Los Angeles gala. Actually, its the first time I've ever seen them both talk among the other followers about their religion. Now this made me wonder, where were the other celebrity Scientology followers such as Kirstie Alley, Kelly Preston, Nancy Cartwright and among many others? Why did Tom Cruise and John Travolta have to deny to give an interview for this documentary? What are they hiding here with regards to Scientology?Really good documentary about how Scientology works and its members, 8/10 it deserves!

Early in this documentary the author of the source material (Lawrence Wright) says he came to the subject because he was interested in the people within extreme religious groups, and what drew them into such beliefs. Whether or not Alex Gibny had the same interest is not stated, but his documentary on Scientology doesn't really explore this side of the story but instead is a fairly brutal documentary on the construction of the group, which he then deconstructs through the contributions of some very senior former members.Although it is hard not to feel like the film is missing a bigger, more complex picture by doing this, it is hard to judge it for doing so, because it really does have a treasure trove of madness to pick from. The film is well structured to take us through the roots of the movement's founding, the auditing process that it uses, and then builds into the higher level information on the history of the earth, alien spirits, and other stuff straight out of science fiction (which of course, is precisely where it does come from). This is fascinating in its clarity and structure; I think most people do know that Scientology is built on such madness, but to see it laid out so clearly is engaging and enlightening. The film moves beyond this to show a movement on the offensive at any attack, and to paint a picture of abuse, sacrifice, and ultimately great wealth.John Oliver recently did a strong bit on the nonsense of the legality of religious organizations being tax exempt, and this does rather reinforce it. The testimony of abuses is more specific, and more reliant on individuals, but the film builds to it in such a way that it is very easy to accept and believe. As a piece of filmmaking it is very much documentary 101, with talking heads and archive footage, but it is very well edited together and constructed to build a case. It is compelling viewing, even if it is very much focused on exposing and doesn't do a great deal of exploring of the why's.

Scientology is a controversial, albeit not overly well-known topic in today's society. Many people ask if it really is a religion, and different answers appear. However, one thing is for sure—it confuses people. However, this confusing nature makes it, in a way, appealing. This is because people are interested. They want answers to their questions. This is what Scientology preys on.Going Clear, a documentary by Alex Gibney, is not meant to be an exposé. Instead, it is meant to give insight on what Scientology is about in order to quench the aforementioned confusion. The movie begins with many voices describing their experiences with Scientology. The sheer amount of voices is overwhelming, and in my opinion, really gives background to how many people were into Scientology. Throughout the course of the movie, many people give their insight on the topics of Scientology, and their relationship to the self-proclaimed religion is also mentioned so that the viewer can connect to them. The documentary starts off by talking about L. Ron Hubbard, giving background context to his life. The details of his life were shocking to say the least. With an abusive relationship with his wife, as well as constant threatening, emotional manipulation, and lies, his background is destructive and honestly scary.Wanting income, he created a religion, or what some people consider to be a cult. He called this religion Scientology. In this religion, people believe that people are "asleep" and they need to "go clear" by awakening themselves. To awaken, they go through auditing sessions, which are meant to help clear their traumatic experiences so that nothing is left in their unconscious. However, the sessions cost increasingly much, and slowly force oneself to reveal secrets so that they can be "relieved" of them. However, as they keep on paying more and more to Scientology and go deeper and deeper inside the ranks, they learn more and more about "Lord Xenu" and some of the more sketchy parts of Scientology. However, they can not leave the religion due to the secrets they revealed during the auditing sessions. If they do leave Scientology, they are threatened with these secrets for fear of them being released. The movie encapsulates the mental trauma people have gone through because of Scientology in an unbiased and concise manner. Both horrifying and genius, this documentary has surpassed by expectations. By providing insight to Scientology in a manner that can only be described as mind-blowing, this documentary allowed me to see inside Scientology and left me awestruck. In conclusion, I would rate this film a strong 9/10. With very little room left for improvement and almost no cons, I would recommend this documentary to anyone wanting to learn more about Scientology.