Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief

Jan 25, 2015

2h 0m

★ 7.6

Overview

The film profiles eight former members of the Church of Scientology, shining a light on how they attract true believers and the things they do in the name of religion.

Genres

Documentary

Production Companies

Sky Atlantic

Jigsaw Productions

HBO Documentary Films

Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief Trailers

Cast

Self - Interviewee

Paul Haggis

Self - Interviewee

Jason Beghe

Narrator (voice)

Alex Gibney

Self - Interviewee

Lawrence Wright

Sara Northrup (voice)

Sherry Stringfield

Self (archive footage)

Katie Holmes

Self (archive footage)

Nancy Cartwright

Self (archive footage)

Kirstie Alley

Self (archive footage)

Karen Black

Self (archive footage)

Jenna Elfman

Self (archive footage)

Isaac Hayes

Self (archive footage)

Kelly Preston

An exploration —manipulated and staged— of life in Las Hurdes, in the province of Cáceres, in Extremadura, Spain, as it was in 1932. Insalubrity, misery and lack of opportunities provoke the emigration of young people and the solitude of those who remain in the desolation of one of the poorest and least developed Spanish regions at that time.

0.0

BLIND_CITY

Mar 21, 2021

Images complement what is always lacking in words. The poems complement what is always present in the city. Freely inspired by the poetry Cidade City Cité, by Augusto de Campos.

7.8

Nous paysans

Feb 23, 2021

In barely a century, French peasants have seen their world profoundly turned upside down. While they once made up the vast majority of the country, today they are only a tiny minority and are faced with an immense challenge: to continue to feed France. From the figure of the simple tenant farmer described by Emile Guillaumin at the beginning of the 20th century to the heavy toll paid by peasants during the Great War, from the beginnings of mechanization in the inter-war period to the ambivalent figure of the peasant under the Occupation, From the unbridled race to industrialization in post-war France to the realization that it is now necessary to rethink the agricultural model and invent the agriculture of tomorrow, the film looks back at the long march of French peasants.

6.5

Inside A Cult: Messiah on Trial

May 17, 2009

Current and former cult members struggle to come to terms with the 2008 trial of self-proclaimed Messiah Wayne Bent, accused of molesting young girls.

8.0

Fier.e.s, la voix du Pacifique

Oct 22, 2024

In French Polynesia, transgender people evolve with apparent fluidity in all components of society. Their presence, observed as early as the 18th century by Western travelers and missionaries, has never ceased to intrigue and fascinate, producing over time numerous myths that the transgender women and men of Polynesia are today attempting to deconstruct. Through a series of luminous and intimate portraits, this documentary gives them a voice and proposes a rereading of gender issues in the light of Oceanian thought: an obvious enrichment.

6.0

Manlife

Jun 4, 2017

For over 80 years, Merle Hayden has crusaded to recruit members to the utopian movement Lawsonomy. Founded by aircraft pioneer Alfred Lawson, Lawsonomy advocates for economic reform and clean, communal living that transforms followers into a "New Species" that will benefit the human race either in this life or the next. Merle joined Lawson as a teenager and never looked back. His high school sweetheart Betty Kasch, however, is tired of Lawson coming between them. Reunited after over 60 years apart, non-believer Betty wants Merle to join her in Florida. Merle's commitment to preserving Lawson's legacy, artifacts currently rotting in a barn alongside a Wisconsin highway, has Betty worried Merle may leave her for Lawson once again.

8.0

The Legacy of Othello

Jun 12, 2022

A fascinating exploration of the literary — The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice, by English playwright William Shakespeare (1604) — and lyrical — Othello, by Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (1887) — myth of Othello, the desperately tragic story of a Moorish general in the army of the Venetian Republic whose absurd jealousy poisons his love for his wife Desdemona.

5.0

Aliens from Spaceship Earth

Jan 1, 1977

While the aliens in this film may seem to be quite human, one must realize that we're dealing with close encounters of the fourth kind. An inner space journey triggered by the drug culture and rebellion of the 1960s, and the non-violent search for self that continues among people in today's culture. Could this be due to some influence from a higher spiritual consciousness? The world's alien leaders are well represented in this film: Baba Muktananda, Swami Satchidananda, A. C. Bhaktivedanta, Guru Maharaj Ji, Yoga Bhahan, Sri Sathya, Sai Baba, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Father Yod, Baba Ram Das, and well-known personalities who present their views on seeking their own terrestrial individuality.

8.0

Femmes à l'Assemblée : histoire d'un combat

Oct 20, 2025

No overview available.

8.0

Indian Youth: An Exploration

Jan 1, 1968

A documentary on the life of the youth in post-Independence India.

8.6

Steel running through our veins

Jan 22, 2025

« Steel running through our veins » immerses us in the world of Liège's steelworkers, revealing an exceptional industrial and human saga. This captivating documentary explores the destinies forged by iron and fire through personal testimonies and previously unseen archives spanning 50 years. It highlights the social struggles and resilience of a community in the face of economic challenges. More than just a reflection on the past, this essential film questions our present and future, emphasizing the importance of solidarity and collective memory.

0.0

Scientology: The Road to Total Freedom?

Apr 27, 1987

John Penycate investigates Church of Scientology, endorsed by some major Hollywood celebrities.

0.0

Going Alone

Jan 16, 2022

Every year, five to ten percent of all deceased Berliners are buried by the authorities because no relatives are found. Most of them are put into the ground by mortician Bernd Simon going alone. But sometimes companions do turn up and say goodbye in their very own way. An observational documentary about an undertaker who actually wanted to become an entertainer, a bizarre city portrait and a mirror of how we deal with death, mourning and commemoration.

8.7

Writing Hawa

Sep 11, 2025

Afghan documentary maker Najiba Noori offers not only a loving and intimate portrait of her mother Hawa, but also shows in detail how the arduous improvement of the position of women is undone by geopolitical violence. The film follows the fortunes of Noori’s family, who belong to the Hazaras, an ethnic group that has suffered greatly from discrimination and persecution.

7.5

Nicolas de Staël, la peinture à vif

Sep 24, 2023

No overview available.

10.0

Second Class

Nov 1, 2012

'Do you feel cheaper?' We are filming young Lithuanian men working in Sweden. They do not want to be caught on camera, they do not want to participate in creating yet another media image of guilt and pity. They film us. We empty a bottle of moonshine, we dance on their porch. They might let us film them tomorrow. Second Class is a time document about class, respect, the value of work and human being.

7.5

Modern Life

Oct 29, 2008

For ten years, Raymond Depardon has followed the lives of farmer living in the mountain ranges. He allows us to enter their farms with astounding naturalness. This moving film speaks, with great serenity, of our roots and of the future of the people who work on the land. This the last part of Depardon's triptych "Profils paysans" about what it is like to be a farmer today in an isolated highland area in France. "La vie moderne" examines what has become of the persons he has followed for ten years, while featuring younger people who try to farm or raise cattle or poultry, come hell or high water.

6.7

The Society of the Spectacle

May 1, 1974

Guy Debord's analysis of a consumer society.

8.0

Roman Kemp: Our Silent Emergency

Mar 16, 2021

Roman Kemp: Our Silent Emergency is a deeply personal and candid film following Roman as he explores the mental health and suicide crisis affecting young men in the UK.