For his feature-length debut, filmmaker Louis Theroux decided to take on Scientology. Yet the world’s most notoriously secretive religious sect proved a tough bunch to crack. So the British documentarian enlisted the help of the one ex-member willing to speak publicly, Mark ’Marty’ Rathbun, and decidedly to recreate some pivotal scenes from the storied history of L. Ron Hubbard’s religion (hiring actors to play important high-profile members of the church, including Tom Cruise). Then when Scientology underlings start following and harassing Louis and his crew, things start getting really weird. Unlike many of his muckracking journo brethren, Theroux does not seem to be condescending, but legitimately curious about why people do the things they do.
“A documentary about what happens when you try to make a documentary about Scientology.” — Huffington Post
English
United Kingdom, United States