Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief

This is an incredible film that never releases its hold on viewers.

If Going Clear were a Hollywood thriller, I’d complain that it’s too over-the-top. But this is real life, which is hard to believe. And it’s disturbingly good. [20/27 Mar 2015, p.95]

Even if you are familiar with the contours of the controversy over Scientology, Gibney's documentary, which won raves at Sundance in January and airs Sunday at 8 p.m. on HBO, is worth watching, particularly for the personal stories of former members.

Although it’s two hours long, Going Clear speeds by.... Mesmerizing? If you’ve had even a passing interest in Scientology, Going Clear will fascinate in ways you never thought possible.

Hauntingly effective.... Going Clear’s only small problem is how much of Wright’s book it tries to cram into two hours.

For those who have read Wright’s book, there isn’t much new here, but Gibney skillfully weaves the stories and visuals, particularly an extended passage about Cruise, into an engrossing narrative.... By focusing on the powerful and damning stories of the church’s most destructive practices, including the forced “disconnection” of members from family and friends, Gibney has made a forceful and memorable case.

Going Clear distinguishes itself by tying that material into a coherent framework that provides a concise, scholarly context within which Scientology can be understood as a real system of beliefs, with roots in a specific time and place.

More troubling, and the bulk of his case, is the testimony of former Scientologists, some of them high-ranked, some of them claiming inside knowledge. Defenders of the faith will say that they are lying now when they say they were lying then, but they seem quite credible and composed to me--amazed at the people they'd been, astonished by what they couldn't see, ashamed at their actions or inaction.

The point is that Gibney and his collaborators have synthesized all of this information, put it in one place, and turned it into an emotional arc that will leave you as seething with fury at the church as any of those interviewed for the film.

Haggis’ journey into and out of Scientology could have made a fascinating film by itself, and he’s just one of a dozen articulate talking heads.

[A] well-researched film.

This frequently jaw-dropping documentary by director Alex Gibney, drawn largely from the book of the same name by Lawrence Wright, demonstrates vividly how a cult can spread among people searching for something greater in their lives, some advantage over others, some grand answer.... At times threatens to get swallowed up in the loony-land it wants to analyze, it helps a great deal to have regular check-ins with Wright.

Gibney's doc is a punishing amendment to Wright's book, illustrating how this modern religion has stayed alive and well.

While Going Clear is unapologetically one-sided in its dim view of Scientology, the issues it raises--what is a religion? What motivates people to follow a faith, even when it comes under attack?--will make you think about the film long after it's over.

It’s fantastically made--a clearly written, beautifully rendered story of misdirected energy, bad science, megalomaniacs, and the many good intentions on the way to hell.... Still, it’s odd: In many ways, Going Clear is a collection of alleged abuses that have been reported on many times in the past; it’s revealing little to no new information on the church. Instead, it’s really an exercise in effective packaging.

It's an interesting and damning film but not as engrossing as HBO's recent "The Jinx" series.

As indictments go, Going Clear is relentless and effective. But fair and balanced? That's another question--or maybe that's an issue.

As credible as the film is, what isn’t always clear is why we should care if people want to believe in the Hubbard gospel, or give the church wads of cash each time they want to reach a new clarity level.

Whether you come away seeing Scientology as a cult that ensnares vulnerable people or as a faith of self-empowerment, the film leaves a terrible taste of too much information. This must be its point, but take heed just the same.