Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

progressoid

(50,748 posts)
Sat Apr 16, 2016, 02:45 AM Apr 2016

Louis Theroux’s 'My Scientology Movie'

The most controversial film selected for this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, Vaxxed, will probably get more media attention than any other, which is a shame considering that Vaxxed isn’t actually going to premiere there after festival founder Robert DeNiro was pressured to de-select it due to its controversial subject matter. The other film that tackles a hotly debated and enduringly polarizing topic is Louis Theroux’s My Scientology Movie.

For those of you unfamiliar with Louis Theroux, he’s the son of writer Paul Theroux and an accomplished television documentarian for the BBC. He’s one of those journalists who appears in his own films, a la Michael Moore, except far more polite and much skinnier. The conceit of My Scientology Movie is that he’s supposedly casting actors in Los Angeles to re-enact scenes featuring Scientology leader David Miscavage and main man Tom Cruise. His partner in most of this is ex-Scientologist Marty Rathbun, who is as much the star of the film as Theroux himself is. They manage to cast a remarkably good Miscavage, and the three of them feature heavily as Theroux engages with cult members who are trying to prevent the film (or at least that’s the implication).


Andrew Perez as David Miscavige, MY SCIENTOLOGY MOVIE. Courtesy Red Box Films

Theroux claims more than once that he’s interested in the teachings of Scientology, but he doesn’t actually do anything to uncover any of the positives of the organization, should there be any. The film certainly shows that the cult is a good client of English law firm Carter Ruck, self-described as “One of the UK’s best-known law firms.”

...http://disinfo.com/2016/04/louis-therouxs-scientology-movie/


Video here: http://video.ew.com/v/114509408/my-scientology-movie-watch-an-exclusive-clip-from-the-tribeca-doc.htm
3 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Louis Theroux’s 'My Scientology Movie' (Original Post) progressoid Apr 2016 OP
Theroux also lived with the Fred Phelps family. onager Apr 2016 #1
That video is seriously disturbing. drm604 Apr 2016 #2
Wow awoke_in_2003 Apr 2016 #3

onager

(9,356 posts)
1. Theroux also lived with the Fred Phelps family.
Sun Apr 17, 2016, 06:33 AM
Apr 2016

Of Westboro Baptist Church fame. This was several years ago, when the young woman who recently repudiated the church was still a teen.

He did a great documentary about it, "The Most Hated Family In America:"

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="

" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

drm604

(16,230 posts)
2. That video is seriously disturbing.
Sun Apr 17, 2016, 08:56 AM
Apr 2016

They have such a smug certainty. And Fred Phelps was such a nasty and unpleasant person to deal with.

I feel so bad for those children.

 

awoke_in_2003

(34,582 posts)
3. Wow
Sat Apr 23, 2016, 01:03 AM
Apr 2016

Even Sean Hannity hates these people. The Phelps are the one unifying force in America. I have never heard anyone say anything good about them, and I live in Texas

Latest Discussions»Alliance Forums»Atheists & Agnostics»Louis Theroux’s 'My Scien...