Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief

2015
8| 2h0m| en| More Info
Released: 25 January 2015 Released
Producted By: Jigsaw Productions
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website: http://www.hbo.com/documentaries/going-clear/
Synopsis

GOING CLEAR intimately profiles eight former members of the Church of Scientology, shining a light on how they attract true believers and the things they do in the name of religion.

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Reviews

Hayden Kane There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes
Casey Duggan It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny
Ariella Broughton It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.
Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.
Saiyan_Prince_Vegeta This movie shows the bad side of Scientology. Even though Scientology does help people improve their lives, get rid of negative thoughts and Auditing process makes you feel better, it can go all wrong if you make a wrong step. This movie talks about such things that it makes me question if it really all is real, but there are a few famous ex-Scientologists here who most likely are saying the truth. It is interesting why some celebrities like Tom Cruise are not doing anything about Scientology, or perhaps they don't have a choice because they think their lives will be ruined by all the info that Scientology will reveal about them?This movie is worth watching if you want to know why Scientology is so hated by everyone.
oregon007 This has to be the most incredible documentary I have ever seen. And I have seen a lot.It brilliantly lifts the lid on this dangerous cult. I learnt so much. Wow, I am speechless.The 2 hours flies by. I knew Scientology was weird. But, I had no idea of just how evil it is. It is not a religion. No way. Not in any way. And they are tax exempt? That just makes my blood boil.It is also sad to see so many people sucked in and then forced to stay in against their will. Makes you wonder how this is still happening in 2016.IF you ever only see one documentary. Let this be it.Astounding.
Philippe Boulas Going Clear, directed by Alex Gibney, is a documentary about Scientology, revealing what is unknown to most of us. Xenu, the dictator of the "Galactic Confederacy" 75 million years ago brought people to Earth, as a prison, stacked them in volcanoes, then killed them with hydrogen bombs. Scientology's scriptures show that thetas (immortal spirits) of these aliens are within us, humans, causing spiritual harm. This is the foundation of Scientology, that most people find it crazy that people would believe in this so called "religion". Throughout this documentary, Alex Gibney uses factual evidence and personal memories from ex-scientologist to discover what makes Scientology so different from any other religion. This documentary starts off with the fundamentals and history of Scientology. It was founded by an American author L Ron Hubbard with the release of Dianetics. This was an explanation to auditing, where a counselor would get rid of your negative emotions associated with a traumatizing experience, by reliving that experience. His main teaching was that Scientology teaches us that we are immortal beings who have forgotten their true selves. Scientology drag you in, with the first test free, but start requesting money for the sessions. The more you do, the more money it will cost you. They use an e-meter, which calculates the level of thetas throughout your body, and the whole point of these sessions are to try and get rid of your thetans. The higher you progress, the more information is given to you about the secrets of Scientology, such as the secrets of Xenu. Sooner or later, people realize what Scientology really does to you. Only a few have, and have been able to escape it but there are many consequences for those actions. There is a disconnection policy, where if you know anyone who is skeptical or doubtful about this religion, you are obligated to disconnect from them. For the ex-scientologist, it has caused their whole family turning their backs on them. Most of the ones who realized what Scientology was really about, and who were able to escape have lost all their family because of this. Scientology manipulates is followers, to drown their bank accounts. They use this type of addiction mixed with consequences, policies and blackmailing to access your money. For members of the Sea Org., a branch of Scientology, they have been manipulated to give up everything they have to be apart of Scientology, and torture them and use physical abuse for their own benefit. When I started to learn about this 'religion', I thought it was a joke but as I started to read more about I realized how legitimate it was. It was only after I watched this documentary that I discovered the truth about Scientology. They didn't just tell us the information and the statistics but showed using ex-scientologist and live footage. It made you connect personally with the documentary and the life-style of people who still believe in such absurdity. Throughout this documentary, Alex Gibney exposed the truth of Scientology and the schemes that they have been pulling on everyone. It is a fantastic documentary that does not just regurgitate the information given to them, but puts it in context to connect empathically with the viewer. It also reveals the true essence of Scientology and how they came about to be so successful. No matter what you believe in, I strongly suggest this documentary. Alex Gibney has managed to direct a documentary that is not only factual, but connects with the viewer on a deeper level. The use of emotional connections and interviews with ex-scientologist really helped demonstrate the casualties that this organization is creating, on an emotional or physical level. I would rate this 10/10 without a single doubt. This is one of the most interesting and thought provoking documentary you will ever see.
brchthethird GOING CLEAR: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE PRISON OF BELIEF is directed by Alex Gibney and is based on the book by Lawrence Wright. While it doesn't really replace the book in any meaningful sense, it was a great companion piece that filled in a lot of gaps that a book was never going to fill anyway. Among these significant additions were archival footage of Scientology gatherings and L. Ron Hubbard, as well as interviews with many of the key people who provided anecdotes for the book. I suppose the edge that the film has is in being able to actually go behind the scenes with a look at how Scientology operates. Even still, the book goes into far more detail than the film had time to do. As for its documentary qualities, I thought it was well put-together, as is to be expected from veteran documentarian Alex Gibney. The interviews were sufficiently interesting, alternating between talking heads and archival footage. A couple of the crazier moments were courtesy of Tom Cruise, shown in one clip fervently saluting a portrait of Scientology founder, L. Ron Hubbard. The film even manages to tug at your heartstrings as the discussion moved to the Scientology policy of disconnection, and one former member recounts her daughter saying that she would have to disconnect from her. And of course there were all the tales of abuse at "The Hole" perpetrated against the Sea Org, the Scientology clergy. All together, it paints a very dark picture of a religion that uses fear and intimidation to keep its members in line while, at the same time, catering to its celebrity members' whims. I would have liked a little more general discussion about religion and how belief is used to control people, something that is touched upon a little bit towards the end, but for what it's worth this film does a great job exposing Scientology for the fraudulent scheme it is.