Oxford educated journalist and filmmaker Louis Theroux has stirred the pot again in his documentary Louis Theroux: My Scientology Movie. But far from being one to explicitly poke trouble, Theroux allows the Scientologists to show viewers that their revered organisation isn’t exactly the fluffy, sweet smelling, compliant unit that they’d like us all to believe.
Lacking a direct connection to the world of Scientology after being flatly refused access to the church or to anyone currently practicing, Theroux and his crew had to figure a way to ‘enter through the rear door’, so to speak. They got their insight via an ex top ranking Scientologist, Mark Rathbun. Rathbun was once part of the group closest to the enigmatic leader of the ‘church’ David Miscavige, but ‘blew’ the church after he allegedly fell out of favour and was ‘punished’ in The Hole (the existence of which Scientologists deny).
With the help of Rathbun and a number of other ex Scientologists, Theroux and his crew work to audition actors to recreate events that allegedly took place at the Scientology stronghold, Gold Base in California. It’s during this period of filming, that relations between the Scientologists and Theroux become very tense, with the whole crew aware that they are under close surveillance. At certain points the surveillance becomes especially absurd, with camera recording camera.
This documentary is very funny in parts, but it is an uneasy humour because viewers are well aware that those involved in the ‘cult’ of Scientology aren’t laughing. The harassment of the Theroux crew intensifies as those trying to gain favour with Miscavige and the upper echelons of the Scientology organisation, verbally abuse the men, threaten and accuse them of squirrelling – one of the worst misdemeanours possible according to the ‘church’.
So in his unassuming way, Theroux has allowed the Scientologists to show us their worst, and not getting direct contact with church leaders has actually allowed him to come closer to the truth than would have been possible with the church’s full co-operation. This unusual research method makes the documentary more interesting than the standard fact-finding and relating piece. So easily this could have been a farcical work, but the Scientologists fall nicely into Theroux’s trap, and once again we’re shown just why Louis Theroux is one of the best journalists of our time.