Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief (2015)
94%RT Audience Score: 90%
Awards & Nominations: Won 3 Primetime Emmys
7 wins & 32 nominations total
Thoroughly disquieting but impossible to ignore, Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief is a searing investigative work from a master documentarian.
Going Clear: Scientology & The Prison of Belief is like watching a train wreck – you can’t look away even though it’s horrifying. The documentary does an excellent job of exposing the inner workings of Scientology and the damage it has caused to its members. It’s a chilling reminder of the power of manipulation and the importance of critical thinking. Plus, it’s always fun to watch Tom Cruise get roasted. Overall, a must-watch for anyone interested in cults, religion, or just a good old-fashioned exposé.
Production Company(ies)
HBO Documentary Films, Jigsaw Productions, Sky Atlantic
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Los Angeles, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
Year of Release
2015
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.78 : 1
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Oct 6, 2015
Genre(s)
Documentary
Keyword(s)
documentary, Scientology, Alex Gibney, Kristen Vaurio, Lawrence Wright, abuse, strange practices, former members, organization, critic reviews, Tomatometer, audience score, box office performance, budget, produced by, directed by, written by, reviewed by, MPAA rating, narrator, voice, Paul Haggis, Jason Beghe, Marina Zenovich, Sherry Stringfield, genre, cult, religion, investigation, social commentary, controversial, disquieting, searing, investigative, master documentarian, emperor without clothes, fear, weakness, urgent social priority, chains that bind, mystifying, horrifying, gossipy, accumulated evidence, cabal, rich wackos, taxpayer’s dime, horror, MCU, Netflix, TV shows, streaming movies, actors, news, showtimes
Worldwide gross: $230,194
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $287,344
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,862
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 31,335
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Marina Zenovich – Voice
Sherry Stringfield – Voice
Paul Haggis – Self
Jason Beghe – Self
Lawrence Wright – Self
Director(s)
Alex Gibney
Writer(s)
Alex Gibney
Producer(s)
Alex Gibney, Kristen Vaurio, Lawrence Wright
Film Festivals
Sundance, Berlin
Awards & Nominations
Won 3 Primetime Emmys
7 wins & 32 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (94) | Top Critics (38) | Fresh (89) | Rotten (5)
Gibney makes another attempt to hole and sink [Scientology]. Hooray for him.
May 2, 2017 | Rating: 4/5
Nigel Andrews
Financial Times
TOP CRITIC
Gibney boils it down with skill, his cutting, construction, graphics, and score smoothly and seductively encapsulating Scientology’s appeal.
May 30, 2016
Jason Bailey
Flavorwire
TOP CRITIC
[Going Clear] doesn’t merely peek under the church’s zealously maintained guise. It disrobes this controversial religion to reveal an emperor without clothes, an organization that runs on fear and weakness.
September 24, 2015 | Rating: 3/5
Steve Davis
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
It’s not a sense of outrage that viewers are left with. It’s sadness.
September 4, 2015
John Doyle
Globe and Mail
TOP CRITIC
Chilling, damning stuff.
June 28, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
Mark Kermode
Observer (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Alex Gibney’s film, like Wright’s book, is a useful contribution to what looks more and more like an urgent social priority: the push to discourage people from praising the chains that bind them.
June 26, 2015
Tony Rayns
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
Gibney’s documentary outlines that bad things are happening around Scientology. But since the dawn of humankind, people have done horrible things in the name of all religions.
June 21, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
It’s at turns shocking, mystifying, and curious – but predominantly horrifying.
December 4, 2020 | Rating: 8/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
Going Clear offers gossipy elements… but its power is in the accumulated evidence of so many voices.
April 5, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
John Bleasdale
CineVue
A compelling documentary which doesn’t need to work too hard to out the sheer absurdity and ‘Emperor’s New Clothes’ air that hangs over the whole Scientology movement.
November 11, 2018 | Rating: 3/5
PJ Nabarro
Patrick Nabarro
The picture it manages to assemble packs such a punch that it gives new meaning to “going clear.” Jaw-dropping, indeed.
August 2, 2017
Lisa Rosman
Signature
Amongst a field of analysis which examines Scientology as a cabal of rich wackos gone wild on the taxpayer’s dime, Going Clear thrives.
March 27, 2017 | Rating: Recommended
James Hennessy
4:3…
Plot
Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief is a documentary that exposes the abuses and strange practices within the controversial organization of Scientology through interviews with former members.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The documentary is directed by Alex Gibney and features interviews with former members of the Church of Scientology.
Alex-Gibney.jpg
