Mi película de la cienciología

I find Scientology and cults in general a fascinating subject and have watched most documentaries on the subject including the most recent one by Alex Gibney, Going Clear. Both this and Going Clear are excellent exposes but in different ways. As one reviewer said Going Clear is more factual whilst this one gives you a better feeling of Scientology is all about - a good description in my opinion.

I've often got the feeling that Scientology is somewhere between a cult and a religion but this film, more than any other, puts it squarely in the cult category.

Right from the outset you get a feel for this. Requests for interviews by Theroux are turned down by the church an almost unheard of response for an organisation that large. Most will have P.R departments ready to go to any and all media interests.

This makes it hard for Theroux of course. His usual film making style is subtle and he spends considerable time those involved, something impossible with this subject.

So he decides to use actors and actresses to re-enact some of the abuse by the organisation's head, David Miscavige. This is powerful stuff which is different to simply hearing reports of the same abuse.

But I found the real behaviour of the real Scientologists even more damning, particularly when coupled with commentary by ex-Scientologists. Near the end of the film the organisation sent a letter to Louis Theroux saying because he was making a documentary about them they intended to make a documentary about him. Such a response seemed just so totally infantile, like a young child's tit for tat: if you take mine I'll take yours kind of response. On top of the rest of the film this gave an insight into just how separated this group is from mainstream society - to even think that was an appropriate response.

All in all one comes away with the a real sense that Scientology is run by a powerful and paranoid sociopath who has somehow managed to get away with what he is doing for years. A great effort by Theroux that worked much better than his older documentary on another cult: the Westboro Baptist Church.

This is my review of My Scientology Movie (spoiler free)

*** (3/5)

MAKING A DOCUMENTARY about such an elusive subject like Scientology will always guarantee the filmmaker a decent sized audience. For instance maybe a small army of lawyers. Alex Gibney estimates that around 160 legal eagles watched last year's documentary Going Clear before its initial set release, and at times it's almost too hard to imagine that Louis Theroux's addition to L. Ron Hubbard's DVD cupboard wasn't given a similarly fine-toothed treatment. Although there are a few people most likely to goad at this litigious organisation than a man who's turned the tables on everybody from White Supremacists to Westboro Baptist's rabid flock just by asking the right questions, listening a lot and being disarmingly goofy and somewhat admirable. But while the BBC's mild-mannered assassin brings all of his weapons to bear here – like awkward long silences, innocent but insistent probing, and using his vast reserves of likability – however he somewhat meets his match with Scientology.

He is constantly bombarded by the organisations bug-eyed loyalists, threatened by its long list of lawyers and he is unable to get close to its leader David Miscavige, Theroux instead chooses to recreate its practices (and, more pertinently, malpractices) using young unknown actors he casts in sessions, with a little bit guidance from former Scientologists-turned feared whistleblower Mark Rathbun, and even the odd visit to its headquarters. Unfortunately unlike one of its inspirations, Joshua Oppenheimer's, The Act of Killing, Theroux's gambit is only half successful. As Oppenheimer's film featured real people recreating their own shocking acts of genocide; here Theroux's actors make willing surrogates, but they're no proper substitute for the access to the organisation itself. Although they do pull off a rather convincing recreation to the infamous Hole which is used as a prison for some of the more senior Scientologists (or sea orgs) where some of the more extreme allegation to abuse took place, however since then Miscavige has denied the allegations and the existence to The Hole. There is one scene when Theroux is put under a lie detector and Mark is stating that this technique would be used as part of the Scientology agreement, it's a way that Miscavige would look into your memories and see if you really belong to be part of the church.

Theroux travels all around Los Angeles learning about the recklessness of Scientology and what kind of place it really is even with top Hollywood actor Tom Cruise played pretty convincingly by Rob Alter, who has pretty much the same smile and repeating lines from the real Tom Cruise archive footage which Rarthbun was so eager to show, when Theroux learns some of the key phrases and acronyms from Scientology. There are a few times when Theroux tries to investigate some of the key sites that are part of the organisation but he is told to leave the premises as he is trespassing and told to drive off a mile away from their road, even though the road in question was a public freeway. But these Scientologists felt threatened by his presence. There is one moment when he meets Tom de Vocht one of the more senior members of the group and he calls it a cult and Theroux learns that he was abused almost every day for 31 years as he was a part of the church throughout the second act Theroux learns about all these techniques one of which called squirrel busting, and he is eager to try out this technique were there will be many abusive words used, and other members laughing as they try it. Throughout the movie it has some funny moments, mostly with the squirrel busting, however Mark was ambushed by other members who were squirrel busting him, and yet again Miscavige tried denying that his members do that as a harassment technique.

During the engaging third act of the film Theroux learns that Rathbun has a very dark secret that he was one of the top members of the group and he learns that he was a much feared individual as at some points with the group he would help Miscavige with the abuse, which can be shown as he argues with Theroux after he is harassed by yet another few Scientology members who abuse him. Also Theroux reads a statement that Rathbun wrote about the group filled with some rather aggressive words against the church. Ultimately My Scientology Movie has very engaging and entertaining moments mixed with some sort of funny moments all together stitched up with some clever dialogue and a lot of research all though it would have been nice if we could meet the real David Miscavige this is a movie he may never see, it's a very intriguing documentary that sometimes fails to deliver at some other points.

VERDICT: Theroux's first big-screen doc is an entertaining affair peppered with surreal moments and wry wit; but unfortunately its elusive screwed up elusive subject is out of reach.

6/10 entertaining.

Louis Theroux documents his investigation into what goes on behind the scenes of the infamous Church of Scientology.

As of right now (2017), there are two big documentaries on Scientology. This one, and the one made by HBO. Frankly, the HBO one is a bit better and definitely a must-see. This one is also good, and while it covers much of the same ground, it does go into other areas, too. Theroux, to his credit, seems to have very little fear of being arrested and gets some great footage near the base.

This film does have some strange narrative devices, such as casting actors in the roles of real Scientologists and then having them act out events that allegedly occurred. One scene in particular (in "the hole") is very effective. The casting of "Tom Cruise", unfortunately, never seems to go anywhere.

Exposing Scientology has become something of a genre unto itself, and this doesn't really break any new ground. There are the usual stories of coercion, confrontations and creepy interactions we've come to expect from Scientologists. If you've seen Going Clear, the Leah Remini series, or even the South Park episode, you won't learn anything you didn't know.

Still, he manages to keep it interesting. The most unique thing he does is hire actors to play out various scenes, with guidance from former Scientologists - mostly Mark Rathbun, the former "Inspector General of the Religious Technology Center". Particular emphasis is given to correctly capturing the explosive temper of David Miscavige.

The biggest weakness in the movie is that Mark Rathbun is kind of an annoying guy. Whereas most former Scientologists are contrite about their own behavior in the cult, he really doesn't take ownership of his past at all. He continuously complains about the abusive tactics the Church uses against him and his family, but whenever Theroux politely points out that he certainly did similar things in the past, he goes into a snit. Weirdly, one of the things that seems to bother him the most is that the Church doesn't acknowledge what a "big shot" he was.

Not a bad way to pass a couple hours, but not likely to be remembered for long.

If there's anything I gleaned from this film, it's that the people in the Church of Scientology seem to be anything but compassionate and open. Vindictiveness appears to be their modus operandi. The film is an improvised documentary in which spontaneous encounters demonstrate the twisted world of the Church of the Scientology. Even those among the Church of Latter Day Saints, i.e. the Mormons, were more magnanimous about the musical "The Book of Mormon". PBS did an exposé on the Mormons in which many Mormons and ex-Mormons were interviewed. To their credit they didn't seem to be frightened some skeletons would be unearthed from their closets, although they did draw the line in terms of allowing outsiders access to their ceremonies inside their temples. (They did offer some footage showing the inside of one temple without people.) By contrast, the Church of Scientology doesn't merely decline; they literally put up roadblocks in public areas near some of their facilities! They have continually rejected to participate in any kind of documentary about them. They won't give interviews, they dislike outsiders questioning their practices, and they seem most loath to let anyone research their history. If former members claim any kind of shortcoming or social infraction, large or small, they are labeled as liars and transgressors.

In one of their most telling responses to allegations of impropriety at the hands of David Miscavige, the Church's absolute ruler, the Church claimed that any such allegations "were extremely false." I didn't know there were gradations of falsifications! I thought something was true or untrue. Saying that such allegations were "extremely false" seems to me a red flag that something must be true. Of course they offer no explanation as to why someone who left the Church might make such accusations, except to call them all liars. Interestingly, so many of ex-Scientologists make the same accusations. It must be a conspiracy to threaten the survival of the Church. Of course, such accusations if proved true will threaten the survival of the Church! Is there an irony here?

The writer, producer and narrator, Louis Theroux solicits the help of Mark "Marty" Rathbun, a former inner-circle "cabinet" member whose job had been to protect the doctrine, essentially both from within and without. During the documentary, Rathburn claims he not only witnessed but participated in punishments upon members who had transgressed against either the Church itself or its leader David Miscavige. One of their main punishments was to humiliate "guilty" members in front of others. A bigger punishment was to send transgressors to "The Hole", a kind of Scientology detention center. He says he also engaged in harassment of outsiders whom Miscavige believed might undermine the Church's mission. Rathburn then found himself on the receiving end of such discipline and promptly left the Church. Members who leave the Church and criticize it are labeled PTS (Potential Trouble Sources) and SP (Suppressive Persons). As far as I could tell, Rathburn has been labeled both.

Aside from Rathburn, the really telling scenes are the confrontations between Theroux with people who refuse to identify themselves but are clearly acting under orders from the Church. During one such conflict, the filmmakers come to the outskirts of a Scientology outpost called "The Hole" where Rathburn and other ex-Scientologists claim punishments have been enacted. They don't enter private property but are simply on a public street near a sign which says "Road Closed". They are immediately confronted by Scientology "guards" who order them to disperse as if they have governmental authority. Theroux counters that they are on a public road, and they have a permit to film. A woman who confronts the filmmakers won't even look at the permit, but simply keeps reiterating they have must leave or face criminal consequences. It should be pointed out that no non-governmental civilian has the authority to arrest someone outright except in the event of a felonious crime, a.k.a. a citizen's arrest. Trespassing is not a felony, probably only a misdemeanor in California. If they were truly egregiously trespassing, they should have called the police, not confront the trespassers and threaten them with arrest.

During every confrontation, the Scientologists and gatekeepers won't engage in a discussion but either claim they are being trespassed upon or simply remain silent. Another former member explains that their behavior is to impress David Miscavige, an audience essentially of one. The other aspect of the documentary is auditioning actors to play key roles of the prominent members, primarily David Miscavige and Tom Cruise, probably the most famous Scientologist on the planet. In the irony of ironies, every confrontation scene just proved to me over and over again that the Church of Scientology is clearly guilty of the things of which they are being accused. It's like the person harboring illegal weapons in their house who refuse to let their house be searched without a warrant. My first thought is, what are they hiding and being so adamant about their secrecy?