Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief

A look into the perverse world of the celebrity cult-religion.

The secrets and bullshit behind the Church of Scientology have long been publicly known. However, Gibney still manages to make a damning exposé.

There’s nothing ‘new’ here apart from some insight into the bait-and-switch technique used to draw people in. Everything else I have read focuses too much on the crazy theories at the top of the religion. It’s funny to laugh at, but it’s more interesting to see how people get to the point of believing the stories and Gibney provides some sensible theories.

The structure of the film quickly gets tiresome. One talking head after another, more archive footage, another segue using the e-meter… interesting as it may be, after two hours the credits are a welcome sight.

There’s little more than shock value to be had here which is a shame. It’s an interesting watch but not something insightful or revelatory enough to really make any waves.