Documentary Draws Ire From the Church of Scientology
THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Michael Cieply
CALIFORNIA---If controversy sells, HBO may suddenly have a hit in Alex Gibney’s new documentary about Scientology and renegades who left it behind. On Friday, the Church of Scientology took aim at the movie.... “Going Clear” arrives at Sundance as one of a cluster of volatile documentaries. While part happenstance, film agents say directors are leaning harder into controversy-courting topics as a way to cut through the clutter of television and video-on-demand services, where a lot of these films now primarily play. Like Mr. Wright’s book, the documentary depends heavily on interviews with Scientology dropouts whose filmed accounts mostly track with earlier descriptions of claimed abuse, both physical and emotional, that were compiled by Mr. Wright. [link]
By Michael Cieply
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| “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief” will show on HBO, beginning on March 16. Credit HBO |
