Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief

Alex Gibney's documentary about Scientology. The method is this: former members of the organisation sit in front of the camera and describe what went on inside. Among them are the writer-director Paul Haggis and the actor Jason Beghe, both of whom gave the organisation years and left. Pressure to donate, the severing of family ties, and the measures applied to those who want out are what come forward. It also covers the story of the founder, L. Ron Hubbard, and how Scientology obtained religious exemption within the American tax system. The source is Lawrence Wright's 2013 book. It was made for HBO. The documentary took seven Emmy nominations and won three: documentary, directing and nonfiction writing. It also received a Peabody Award. Scientology ran an intense campaign against both the film and the book. One of the most visible recent examples of its form for anyone who likes investigative documentary and studies of institutional power. For a viewer expecting to hear the other side, the film runs in one direction; the organisation declined to take part, and the documentary says so plainly.