Film: Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief

I was delighted to see Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, so near the top of my film list. Sounded fascinating, and it was the highest rated film on my list that was showing last night. So off I went to the Picturehouse Central - a new cinema, I haven't been before.

Unfortunately, I got started late - had a lot to get around to, yesterday evening. Well anyway, although it's a documentary, it's also showing at a regular cinema, and they don't much mind you arriving late. And generally have ads showing beforehand. So I wasn't horribly worried. When I got to Piccadilly Circus, I figured the Trocadero exit was the one to take, given that the cinema was supposed to be around there somewhere. Unfortunately again, when I got into the Trocadero corridor, there were no signs for the cinema. Unfamiliar with the area, I got confused, and ended up taking the first stairs out of there, exiting through a cut-price theatre ticket office!

Well, I had some idea where the cinema should be, so I headed off in that direction - and praise be! I came across a passageway with a "Picturehouse Central" sign at the end. I entered a plushly designed foyer, but couldn't see a ticket desk. Luckily, there was a guy standing at the entrance, who directed me up the grand staircase and to the right. Where there were a very small number of ticket desks, occupied by all of two people, one of whom was under constant instruction by a manager, it seemed, and the other of whom was dealing very, very slowly with two young ladies. I think it was more their fault though - they moved with terminal slowness.

When I finally got to the desk and told him what I wanted, he broke the news that it had already started. Well nuts, I couldn't have missed that much of it, and told him to go ahead. He did remark that since it was a documentary, I'd probably be ok. So I got my ticket (docs are just £8 here till the end of the year) and trotted off to where a neon sign helpfully said "Screens". A smiley lady tore my ticket, and I set off. Up the escalator. The next level up just housed Screens 1 & 2. Escalator again. Toilets on the next level up, no screens. The escalators were moving so slowly, I trotted up them rather than wait. Final escalator, and I found myself on the level with the rest of the screens. I found mine, slipped in, and took a seat right behind where I was supposed to be, just because I didn't have to push past anyone to get in there. I must say though, the seats were soo comfy! With nice high headrests, so no chance of obstructing anyone's view.

Someone was being interviewed on screen when I arrived - this was the subject of most of the film. He, in common with the rest of them, turned out to be an ex-Scientologist. And the early part of the film deals mostly with the history of its founder, L. Ron Hubbard, and the now ex-members describe with shining eyes the enthusiasm they felt, how they were sucked in with the promise of saving the world. So, this is the light-hearted start of the film.

..and then things get darker, with descriptions of Hubbard's descent into madness - how he kidnapped his baby daughter and rang his wife, pretending he'd killed her and chopped her into little pieces. She eventually got herself and the children away from him, at least. Fleeing tax evasion charges, he kept a low profile, but ran his Scientology empire from the shadows until his death in 1986. Not that they believe he died, of course. You see, it's like this; Scientology requires you to go through a series of personality tests, and the higher ones are prefixed with "OT" - Operating Thetan (they do love their acronyms). There are eight levels of those, it seems. Ol' Ron had surpassed the highest level, and was now conducting his research exterior to his human shell, y'see. They celebrate his birthday every year, it seems.

And there it might have ended. Except there was an heir waiting in the wings - David Miscavige. He's been head of the Scientologists ever since. An interesting figure, he's the one who masterminded the badgering of the IRS with lawsuits until they gave in and allowed Scientology to declare itself a religion, so it wouldn't be taxed. His former personal assistant, Marty Rathbun, is one of the ex-Scientologists interviewed, who describes him as paranoid and physically abusive. Gave me a shock when I saw Marty, BTW - he's the spit of Bill Murray.. Some of the most interesting footage is of Scientologists coming to his door, little cameras on their hats, to harass him for speaking out against them. Or Scientologists sitting in a car across the road, filming his wife as she gets home. She calls the cops - they're still filming when they get there. Say they're making a documentary. About Scientology.

Yeah, they don't much like anyone who speaks out against them. They're notorious for going after them. But we still haven't got to the worst of it. People had been laughing at the beginning of the film - they weren't laughing later on, as ex-high ranking members described how they were subjected to the correctional facility designated for those who violate the code of ethics. One of them kept describing it as "The Hole". People spoke of insanely long hours - one mentioned 30 hours on, 3 hours off, to crash for as much sleep as you could get on a sodden mattress on the roof. The 30 hours were 30 hours of manual labour. She described how she had to fake illness to get them to let her telephone her sister-in-law, who came to rescue her and her baby daughter, whom she found neglected, filthy and covered in flies - they're not allowed to keep their children with them.

Mental cruelty. Sleep deprivation. They're not supposed to contact non-members, even within their own families. Any of this sound like any other organisations we know about? Interestingly, the review of the film on the IMDB site (quoted at the top) mentions how the author has passed a Scientology Centre many times and been urged to come in and have a stress test. He says he takes one look at the frozen, zombie-like face of the person talking to him, and has the urge to laugh out loud. Seriously?! Would I want to look like you?

Of course, we know a couple of famous Scientology members. One of the film's interviewees used to be John Travolta's assistant. Oh, she was gun-ho for it, signed up for the famous Sea Org, the whole business. Unfortunately for her, Miscavige took against Sea Org - figured they were out to get him, or something. Anyway, she was the one described above, who had to rescue her daughter and flee with her sister-in-law. The film contends that Travolta knows what goes on in Scientology, but has been cowed from speaking out by the fact that they have to do all these personal confessions, and they record them.. so they have all this personal information on him, and are effectively blackmailing him.

Then of course, there's Tom Cruise. He's pictured in the film, being awarded some kind of (enormous) medal by Miscavige himself. The implication is that the Scientologists broke up his marriage to Nicole Kidman, because her father was a psychologist, and they don't like them. Apparently, they tapped her phone. After the divorce, they set him up with a custom-made girlfriend, with whom he fell out after her perceived rudeness to Miscavige at a private dinner (apparently, she hadn't been feeling well). They subsequently had her scrubbing out toilets, after her fall from grace.

You'd have to wonder, eh? What does it take to manipulate Tom Cruise like that? At the end, we learned that Scientology isn't nearly as popular any more, but they've invested in so much lucrative property around the world that they are literally worth billions. Pretty good going for a non-profit, as someone remarked! This documentary moves from poking lighthearted fun, to something dark and scary that literally had me on the edge of my seat. Probably the most gripping and chilling documentary I've ever seen. Showing in selected cinemas. Go see.

Tonight is looking like the movies again - there's an East End Film Festival on, and a programme of shorts tonight that looks good - Rebel Girl. It's on right on the other side of town (as you'd expect from an East End Film Festival) - in the Genesis cinema. Bah humbug. But hey, it's a straight run on the District Line, if a long one..