"Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief" - directed by Alex Gibney
(New Zealand International Film Festival)
Starring: Paul Haggis, Jason Beghe, Tony Ortega, Lawrence Wright, Mike Rinder, Marty Rathbun, Sara Goldberg, Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Spanky Taylor, David Miscavige
Running Time: 120 minutes
Rated: EXEMPT - some profanity
Scientology is a fascinating subject to me.
It wraps up several things that I find interesting in one little package.
Corruption, Religion, Celebrity, Conspiracy and Secrecy.
It has been an institution surrounded by secrecy and rumour since its inception.
There have been lawsuits - some directed at the Church of Scientology but most from them aimed at others.
It's all just a tax scam isn't it?
It's a cult that brainwashes people right?
It can't be all bad if people like John Travolta and Tom Cruise are part of it can it?
In recent years there has been an increasing spotlight on Scientology as more and more big name members quit and start talking.
Screenwriter Paul Haggis famously left in 2013 when he found that the organisation was opposed to legislation that would allow same sex marriage.
(Haggis has two gay daughters)
And now this documentary arrives and it is apparently so damning that just prior to its release the Church of Scientology took out full page adverts in The Los Angeles Times and The New York Times denouncing it.
It isn't long into this film before the reasons for their concerns are clear.
This one doesn't pull any punches and it has the contributions of several people to back up its claims.
Some are celebrities, some high ranking members but all have years of experience and are not shy about talking.
There is a lot of material here but "Going Clear" is smart in how it presents itself.
We are given a concise and very fascinating look at the founder of Scientology L Ron Hubbard (the L stands for Lafayette)
We are told of a man who holds a Guinness record for the number of published novels. He was driven by the penny for a word payment system of the pulp Science Fiction era and churned out hundreds of short stories and novels.
He served in a patrol boat in World War 2 and fabricated a story of sinking two Japanese submarines (he actually fired on a log we are told) and was relieved of his command when he opened fire on a Mexican island.
After time in a Pasadena Occult group named Ordo Templi Orientis he threatened suicide to force one of its members to marry him.
The recollections of this woman make for an interesting early section.
We hear that Hubbard was abusive, kidnapped their baby and informed her that he had cut the child up and dumped the pieces before changing his mind and informing his wife that the child was alive.
Apparently the baby was left in the care of a Cuban woman and her daughter who were of diminished mental capabilities.
Of course the church denies that the marriage ever took place- an occurrence that will become a theme as the film progresses.
Hubbard is reported to have said that the only way to make money was via a religion due to the tax exempt status the government afforded churches.
This and much of L Ron Hubbard's life is reinvented or simply denied by the church.
He seemed driven by a desire to cure himself of some mental problems several people suggest.
His reasons for inventing the auditing process could almost be considered genuine in intention then but soon another figure emerges whose goals are anything but.
If Hubbard is presented as a mentally compromised man who behaves accordingly the second half of the film gives us a character who is purely driven by self interest with no such 'excuse'.
David Miscavige.
Miscavige we are informed was a calculating opportunist who pounced when Hubbard died in 1986.
He took full control of the church and it is under his leadership that things appear to have really turned ugly.
Miscavige understood the power of celebrity and under him big name stars like John Travolta and Tom Cruise were recruited to act as spokesmen.
Seeing Cruise salute 'LRH' at a rally is oddly disturbing and Travolta's defence of the church during the filming of what appears to be "The General's Daughter" is concerning in light of allegations that he is a prisoner to Scientology blackmail.
Former member, friend and aide to Travolta Spanky Taylor suggests that he would have left years ago if not for secret files detailing personal matters that he would not want revealed.
While the two megastars don't appear outside of archive footage from church videos or assorted interviews several other celebrities do.
Paul Haggis is an articulate and often very funny contributor.
The Oscar winning writer-director of "Crash" was a member for 35 years and his comments on how little he really knew of the organisation until he left are enlightening to me as someone who often wonders why seemingly intelligent, successful people are involved in it at all.
Jason Beghe who is possibly best known for a small role in "Thelma and Lousie" and the lead role in George A Romeros' underrated "Monkey Shines" features strongly in this section of the film.
He left in 2007 and was considered one of the higher ranking figures.
Miscavige himself described Beghe as a Scientology Poster Boy.
His lengthy You Tube video in which he reveals everything that the church doesn't want revealed is well worth a look (watch it HERE).
I watched a version some years ago that has now been removed- this is mentioned by Beghe in the film. Maybe go and have a look at this one sooner rather than later!
The bizarre central ideologies and beliefs of Scientology are also laid bare.
We are told of Thetans and how they were expelled by the galactic dictator Xenu and dumped into volcanoes into which atomic bombs were detonated.
They were blasted into space but invade the bodies of newborns.
But worry not- Scientology can get rid of them for you.
Haggis in particular has an hilarious contribution to this reveal and a good percentage of the profanity in the film results.
History and celebrity aside and as compelling as these aspects are the really juicy stuff is reserved for the final third of the movie.
We are told about what happens when one leaves the church.
They have a host of tactics and several people tell us of being ostricised by family and friends who remained in the church.
'Disconnection' is the word that Scientologists use.
Sara Goldberg who left in 2013 lost contact with her daughter who hugged her as she told her that they could not have anything to do with one another any longer.
Her story is perhaps the most affecting of all that are told here.
Even with the revelations about Nicole Kidman being wiretapped in an effort to break up the marriage or of the reports of secret files used to blackmail people, twenty four hour surveillance and physical abuse and torture the sad tale of a young woman so willing to forgo family over Scientology almost does more than anything to paint the organisation in a very, very bad light.
I say almost because there is a distressing amount of horrible behaviour revealed.
Director Alex Gibney has previously made documentaries on WikiLeaks and Enron both of which were well received (I personally have not seen them)
This film is based on the 2013 book by Lawrence Wright Pulitzer Prize winning staff writer at The New Yorker.
Wright interviewed around 200 former members in doing his research and himself features very heavily in the film.
It is clearly very well researched and is presented smartly in three distinct but smoothly blended parts.
This is a well made, compelling documentary that feels nothing like the two hours that it runs for.
I am skeptical about documentaries generally having been exposed to the factual inaccuracies and personal agendas of the likes of "Fahrenheit 9/11", "Supersize Me" and "An Inconvenient Truth".
Having said that it is hard not to come away with the belief that Scientology has an awful lot to answer for.
Admittedly I was predisposed to this conclusion going in - I have watched and read enough to be deeply suspicious of most religions let alone this one.
In fact my only real criticism of this hugely entertaining movie is that it doesn't contextualise more.
Is Scientology really doing anything that many other religions have done and still do and often in far more extreme ways?
If the tax free status that keeps the organisation alive is to be removed as the film suggests should this not then be the case for any religious organisation?
Of all of the thought provoking stuff presented in the film itself this may be the idea that stays with me the longest.
Regardless this is the film to see for anyone even remotely interested in Scientology.
RATING: 85 / 100
CONCLUSION: Powder keg stuff and no punches are pulled. Thanks to several high ranking members and exhaustive research this is a compelling often shocking film.
(New Zealand International Film Festival)
Running Time: 120 minutes
Rated: EXEMPT - some profanity
Scientology is a fascinating subject to me.
It wraps up several things that I find interesting in one little package.
Corruption, Religion, Celebrity, Conspiracy and Secrecy.
It has been an institution surrounded by secrecy and rumour since its inception.
There have been lawsuits - some directed at the Church of Scientology but most from them aimed at others.
It's all just a tax scam isn't it?
It's a cult that brainwashes people right?
It can't be all bad if people like John Travolta and Tom Cruise are part of it can it?
In recent years there has been an increasing spotlight on Scientology as more and more big name members quit and start talking.
Screenwriter Paul Haggis famously left in 2013 when he found that the organisation was opposed to legislation that would allow same sex marriage.
(Haggis has two gay daughters)
And now this documentary arrives and it is apparently so damning that just prior to its release the Church of Scientology took out full page adverts in The Los Angeles Times and The New York Times denouncing it.
It isn't long into this film before the reasons for their concerns are clear.
This one doesn't pull any punches and it has the contributions of several people to back up its claims.
 |
| Scientology founder L Ron Hubbard |
There is a lot of material here but "Going Clear" is smart in how it presents itself.
We are given a concise and very fascinating look at the founder of Scientology L Ron Hubbard (the L stands for Lafayette)
We are told of a man who holds a Guinness record for the number of published novels. He was driven by the penny for a word payment system of the pulp Science Fiction era and churned out hundreds of short stories and novels.
He served in a patrol boat in World War 2 and fabricated a story of sinking two Japanese submarines (he actually fired on a log we are told) and was relieved of his command when he opened fire on a Mexican island.
After time in a Pasadena Occult group named Ordo Templi Orientis he threatened suicide to force one of its members to marry him.
The recollections of this woman make for an interesting early section.
We hear that Hubbard was abusive, kidnapped their baby and informed her that he had cut the child up and dumped the pieces before changing his mind and informing his wife that the child was alive.
Apparently the baby was left in the care of a Cuban woman and her daughter who were of diminished mental capabilities.
Of course the church denies that the marriage ever took place- an occurrence that will become a theme as the film progresses.
Hubbard is reported to have said that the only way to make money was via a religion due to the tax exempt status the government afforded churches.
This and much of L Ron Hubbard's life is reinvented or simply denied by the church.
He seemed driven by a desire to cure himself of some mental problems several people suggest.
His reasons for inventing the auditing process could almost be considered genuine in intention then but soon another figure emerges whose goals are anything but.
 |
| Mark Rathbun, Mike Rinder & Tony Ortega - former high ranking Scientologists speak freely |
David Miscavige.
Miscavige we are informed was a calculating opportunist who pounced when Hubbard died in 1986.
He took full control of the church and it is under his leadership that things appear to have really turned ugly.
Miscavige understood the power of celebrity and under him big name stars like John Travolta and Tom Cruise were recruited to act as spokesmen.
Seeing Cruise salute 'LRH' at a rally is oddly disturbing and Travolta's defence of the church during the filming of what appears to be "The General's Daughter" is concerning in light of allegations that he is a prisoner to Scientology blackmail.
Former member, friend and aide to Travolta Spanky Taylor suggests that he would have left years ago if not for secret files detailing personal matters that he would not want revealed.
While the two megastars don't appear outside of archive footage from church videos or assorted interviews several other celebrities do.
Paul Haggis is an articulate and often very funny contributor.
The Oscar winning writer-director of "Crash" was a member for 35 years and his comments on how little he really knew of the organisation until he left are enlightening to me as someone who often wonders why seemingly intelligent, successful people are involved in it at all.
Jason Beghe who is possibly best known for a small role in "Thelma and Lousie" and the lead role in George A Romeros' underrated "Monkey Shines" features strongly in this section of the film.
He left in 2007 and was considered one of the higher ranking figures.
Miscavige himself described Beghe as a Scientology Poster Boy.
His lengthy You Tube video in which he reveals everything that the church doesn't want revealed is well worth a look (watch it HERE).
I watched a version some years ago that has now been removed- this is mentioned by Beghe in the film. Maybe go and have a look at this one sooner rather than later!
 |
| David Miscavige, Tom Cruise, John Travolta and the Scientology building in Los Angeles |
We are told of Thetans and how they were expelled by the galactic dictator Xenu and dumped into volcanoes into which atomic bombs were detonated.
They were blasted into space but invade the bodies of newborns.
But worry not- Scientology can get rid of them for you.
Haggis in particular has an hilarious contribution to this reveal and a good percentage of the profanity in the film results.
History and celebrity aside and as compelling as these aspects are the really juicy stuff is reserved for the final third of the movie.
We are told about what happens when one leaves the church.
They have a host of tactics and several people tell us of being ostricised by family and friends who remained in the church.
'Disconnection' is the word that Scientologists use.
Sara Goldberg who left in 2013 lost contact with her daughter who hugged her as she told her that they could not have anything to do with one another any longer.
Her story is perhaps the most affecting of all that are told here.
Even with the revelations about Nicole Kidman being wiretapped in an effort to break up the marriage or of the reports of secret files used to blackmail people, twenty four hour surveillance and physical abuse and torture the sad tale of a young woman so willing to forgo family over Scientology almost does more than anything to paint the organisation in a very, very bad light.
I say almost because there is a distressing amount of horrible behaviour revealed.
 |
| Sara Goldberg, Spanky Taylor and Hollywood figures Jason Beghe and Paul Haggis |
This film is based on the 2013 book by Lawrence Wright Pulitzer Prize winning staff writer at The New Yorker.
Wright interviewed around 200 former members in doing his research and himself features very heavily in the film.
It is clearly very well researched and is presented smartly in three distinct but smoothly blended parts.
This is a well made, compelling documentary that feels nothing like the two hours that it runs for.
I am skeptical about documentaries generally having been exposed to the factual inaccuracies and personal agendas of the likes of "Fahrenheit 9/11", "Supersize Me" and "An Inconvenient Truth".
Having said that it is hard not to come away with the belief that Scientology has an awful lot to answer for.
Admittedly I was predisposed to this conclusion going in - I have watched and read enough to be deeply suspicious of most religions let alone this one.
In fact my only real criticism of this hugely entertaining movie is that it doesn't contextualise more.
Is Scientology really doing anything that many other religions have done and still do and often in far more extreme ways?
If the tax free status that keeps the organisation alive is to be removed as the film suggests should this not then be the case for any religious organisation?
Of all of the thought provoking stuff presented in the film itself this may be the idea that stays with me the longest.
Regardless this is the film to see for anyone even remotely interested in Scientology.
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