14 DAY TRIAL // One of the most hyped movies screening at the Sundance Film Festival this year is the documentary “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief,” based on the best-selling book by Pulitzer-winning author Lawrence Wright. HBO has already secured rights to air it, starting March 16.
Scientology remains, to this day, one of the most controversial religious cults in the world, and the fact that more and more rich A-listers from showbiz choose to join its ranks only makes it that much more interesting to talk about.
A documentary shining light on some of the most unusual practices among the members is bound to be a hit.
Buzz is already picking up
“Going Clear” screened at Sundance on Sunday and buzz around it is already picking up. It isn’t just the fact that it proposes to tackle and solve the mystery around this powerful cult that’s getting people’s attention, but also the heavy names associated with it.
The doc is directed by Oscar winner Alex Gibney, and features interview footage with famous Scientology defectors like Oscar-winning writer and director Paul Haggis and actor Jason Beghe, among others.
It will also tackle the involvement in the cult of two major film stars, Tom Cruise and John Travolta, and their relationship with Scientology leader David Miscavige, People magazine reports.
Admittedly, the documentary will leave no room for doubt as to the part Miscavige played in Tom Cruise’s divorce from Nicole Kidman, saying that he was the one who intervened and got Tom to seek separation because he thought Nicole was driving him away from the church.
The film will also include footage of Travolta stating his belief that Scientology could cure all evils in the world, hence his eagerness to be a member.
Scientology fights back
Even if “Going Clear” had any less weight to it than the involvement of all these people, it would probably still be a hit. To put it simply, people want to know more and they want to find out what is that thing that motivates all these people to simply cast family and friends aside, and join the ranks of a cult that operates with military-like strictness.
The increasing number of damning exposés from defectors, some famous and some not, have also added to the interest in Scientology.
So they’re fighting back, anticipating even more bad press and an even more controversy: they were never asked to respond in any way to the allegations in the film (despite claims to the contrary), because they were never informed of the allegations that would be formulated against them.
All these people who took part in the making of the film are either misinformed / misguided or former Scientologists holding a grudge and looking to cash in on their previous association with the church.
“The Church is committed to free speech. However, free speech is not a free pass to broadcast or publish false information. We invite you to view our complete statement, correspondence and documented facts,” Scientology says in the statement, offering a link to the official site.