Excellent but underrated film

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Yes my summary is meant to mean more than one thing. Not sure if the Church of Scientology (self proclaimed I may add) can say the same thing about their beliefs and programs. But the documentary does point out many things that are wrong with them. And if you do a documentary, this one is a good example how to do it right.Of course a lot of things came together, former high ranked Scientology officials, who are not with the "Church" anymore. There are also people from Hollywood (Paul Haggis is the biggest name to come out of the whole thing and he's talking about his experience) in this. So while Travolta and Cruise did not comment or rather refused to be interviewed, you do see official clips, that do get commentary or stand for themselves especially in light what other things are being shown and discussed. Very informative and really well researched and amazingly put together structure-wise.Highly recommended and very interesting, even if you didn't care that much about them before watching this

Early in this documentary the author of the source material (Lawrence Wright) says he came to the subject because he was interested in the people within extreme religious groups, and what drew them into such beliefs. Whether or not Alex Gibny had the same interest is not stated, but his documentary on Scientology doesn't really explore this side of the story but instead is a fairly brutal documentary on the construction of the group, which he then deconstructs through the contributions of some very senior former members.Although it is hard not to feel like the film is missing a bigger, more complex picture by doing this, it is hard to judge it for doing so, because it really does have a treasure trove of madness to pick from. The film is well structured to take us through the roots of the movement's founding, the auditing process that it uses, and then builds into the higher level information on the history of the earth, alien spirits, and other stuff straight out of science fiction (which of course, is precisely where it does come from). This is fascinating in its clarity and structure; I think most people do know that Scientology is built on such madness, but to see it laid out so clearly is engaging and enlightening. The film moves beyond this to show a movement on the offensive at any attack, and to paint a picture of abuse, sacrifice, and ultimately great wealth.John Oliver recently did a strong bit on the nonsense of the legality of religious organizations being tax exempt, and this does rather reinforce it. The testimony of abuses is more specific, and more reliant on individuals, but the film builds to it in such a way that it is very easy to accept and believe. As a piece of filmmaking it is very much documentary 101, with talking heads and archive footage, but it is very well edited together and constructed to build a case. It is compelling viewing, even if it is very much focused on exposing and doesn't do a great deal of exploring of the why's.

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.

Scientology is a controversial, albeit not overly well-known topic in today's society. Many people ask if it really is a religion, and different answers appear. However, one thing is for sure—it confuses people. However, this confusing nature makes it, in a way, appealing. This is because people are interested. They want answers to their questions. This is what Scientology preys on.Going Clear, a documentary by Alex Gibney, is not meant to be an exposé. Instead, it is meant to give insight on what Scientology is about in order to quench the aforementioned confusion. The movie begins with many voices describing their experiences with Scientology. The sheer amount of voices is overwhelming, and in my opinion, really gives background to how many people were into Scientology. Throughout the course of the movie, many people give their insight on the topics of Scientology, and their relationship to the self-proclaimed religion is also mentioned so that the viewer can connect to them. The documentary starts off by talking about L. Ron Hubbard, giving background context to his life. The details of his life were shocking to say the least. With an abusive relationship with his wife, as well as constant threatening, emotional manipulation, and lies, his background is destructive and honestly scary.Wanting income, he created a religion, or what some people consider to be a cult. He called this religion Scientology. In this religion, people believe that people are "asleep" and they need to "go clear" by awakening themselves. To awaken, they go through auditing sessions, which are meant to help clear their traumatic experiences so that nothing is left in their unconscious. However, the sessions cost increasingly much, and slowly force oneself to reveal secrets so that they can be "relieved" of them. However, as they keep on paying more and more to Scientology and go deeper and deeper inside the ranks, they learn more and more about "Lord Xenu" and some of the more sketchy parts of Scientology. However, they can not leave the religion due to the secrets they revealed during the auditing sessions. If they do leave Scientology, they are threatened with these secrets for fear of them being released. The movie encapsulates the mental trauma people have gone through because of Scientology in an unbiased and concise manner. Both horrifying and genius, this documentary has surpassed by expectations. By providing insight to Scientology in a manner that can only be described as mind-blowing, this documentary allowed me to see inside Scientology and left me awestruck. In conclusion, I would rate this film a strong 9/10. With very little room left for improvement and almost no cons, I would recommend this documentary to anyone wanting to learn more about Scientology.