Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief

Skip the surface-level coverage elsewhere — Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, in Australia on Amazon Prime Video and Foxtel Now, and in the US on HBO Max Amazon Channel and The CW, goes deeper. The length is exactly right for the story it is telling — nothing rushed, nothing dragged out. 879 viewers have already rated it on TMDB — the kind of consensus that does not happen by accident. The access the production secured is remarkable, and it does justice to it. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Amazon Prime Video.

There is a reason Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief keeps coming up in conversation. Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief approaches its subject with the rigour that makes documentary storytelling worth taking seriously. The film profiles eight former members of the Church of Scientology, shining a light on how they attract true believers and the things they do in the name of religion. Paul Haggis and Jason Beghe give the storytelling a level of trust that shows. It was released in 2015. The restraint in Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief is what makes it trustworthy — it does not need to editorialise to make its point. The hit rate here is high enough that skipping ahead never feels like an option.

Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief is the kind of documentary you immediately want to recommend to someone else. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. Short enough to finish in one sitting, substantial enough to feel satisfying. Rigorous in a way documentary work does not always commit to. Not background viewing — it rewards your full attention.

Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief was released in 2015, directed by Alex Gibney. The full 120-minute film is available to watch now. Find exactly where it's streaming below, and TV Butler Pro makes it effortless to track your progress as you go. Just search the name, and Butler finds it instantly, tells you which service has it, and remembers exactly where you left off.