Review #1,147: 'My Scientology Movie' (2015)

It was only a matter of time before BBC documentary film-maker Louis Theroux made the leap from the small screen to the big. With his unique brand of investigative journalism and interview techniques, as well as a splash of oddball charm, Theroux managed to put his subjects at ease in his presence and allow them to reveal startling inner truths. Much like Werner Herzog, he is fascinated by the weird, and seemed to carry weirdness with him wherever he goes (within minutes, Theroux randomly comes across a bikini-clad Paz de la Huerta who offers her services for the film). So when he announced that his next focus would be on the closed-off world of scientology, it didn't come as much surprise. However, the timing of it did.

A decade ago, the majority of the general public may have only heard the term 'scientology' in relation to Hollywood stars such as Tom Cruise and John Travolta, but many were unaware of just how bizarre and brutal their beliefs and institutional set-up truly is. A hilarious and enlightening episode of South Park later, combined with Alex Gibney's revelatory and in-depth feature-length documentary Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief (2015), and the lid has been lifted on David Miscavige and his rule of tyranny. Does Theroux have anything new to say on the controversial 'religion'? Not at all. In fact, the only thing saving his debut feature from being a complete misfire is the way he approaches the subject, along with some genuinely spooky imagery.

Rather than regurgitating Gibney and with the knowledge that he was going to get nowhere with the incredibly secretive organisation, Theroux has chosen to hire actors to play out archive interviews of Miscavige and Tom Cruise in the hope of persuading former Scientology enforcer Marty Rathbun (who accompanies Theroux for most of the film) to open up about his experiences. This technique was so successfully and devastatingly used in Joshua Oppenheimer's The Act of Killing (2012), but Rathbun remains a frustratingly closed-off figure, and eventually flips when Theroux asks one probing question too many. The most entertaining scenes involve Theroux's clashes with various members of the group but they offer little other than to remind just how loopy these people are. John Dower's film is certainly funny and entertaining, but lacking originality and insight (although I feel I must highlight the performance of Andrew Perez as Miscavige, who is electrifying).


Directed by: John Dower
Starring: Louis Theroux, Marty Rathbun, Andrew Perez
Country: UK/USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie