I finished this movie with more disappointment than revelation. Maybe it's because I live in the UK - where several other programmes about Scientology have aired throughout the years. But this film didn't really tell me anything new. Some of the Hubbard stuff at the beginning was interesting, (struck me as a sociopath) but it never really seemed to get to the nub of the issue. And at the end of the day, despite perhaps the intentions of it's leader, Scientology sure does seem to behave like most other religions in the world. I mean the Catholic church introduced confession as means of collecting more money. What in the world is different between that and Scientology fleecing it's participants for audits and larger levels? Yes, it does have that niggling problem with what exactly it's about - but if your stated goal is making individuals better, one at a time, through what is basically a psychoanalyses process, that must suffice. And that's the part that no one seems to point out - that essentially this is a religion at this point. A deeply screwed up, hypocritical, often abusive, religion - just like the rest of them. The other bit that was missing is asking the various interviewees just what it was that they either WERE getting or thought they were getting out of it. Because these people were in it for decades - they obvious did think they were getting something out of it. AND - a truly unbiased mind would have to ask if perhaps they actually DID get something out of it. Despite some pretty horrific stories of manipulation and abuse at the Gold Camp, these people are not crying wrecks of humanity. Quite the opposite - they seem like quite centered and clear individuals. Rathbun actually left and set up an independent auditing service (which is why the church hounded him so harshly and for so long) and yet the film actually left that bit out. Rathbun still believes in the efficacy of the auditing process. So it wasn't unbiased enough for me and nor did it delve deeply enough into the motivations of people involved. I would have liked to see a section on what we know of brain-washing and how it compares to the auditing and general Scientology processes. I would have liked to have seen more background on Miscavige - another raving sociopathic loon. Perhaps it's too difficult to get this information still - but at this point it feels necessary in understanding what's going on with this organisation.
