My Scientology Movie Review

Louis Theroux is a tremendous household name, his journalistic attitudes and ability to pull a story out of the most banal of stories is a credit to how clever a character he is. Sometimes, the more obtuse and underwhelming the story, the far greater the experience can be for an audience. Theroux’s My Scientology Movie finds itself tackling something large and mysterious, and regardless of how critically and publicly acclaimed they are, covering the many facets of Scientology is a big ask. There’s a lot of information to process and digest, so focusing in on one of the many sections found within is the best course of action. I’d perhaps feel more lenient, then, if Theroux and his crew had managed to focus themselves a little more, a sharper understanding of the Scientologists and their actions is a difficult road to travel, and it’s surprising that Theroux nearly doesn’t manage it. 

With such a fascinating and seemingly natural talent in conducting his work, Theroux traipses through uncharted territory as he delves deep into the minds of Scientology. He does a solid job, much of the film is entirely mired by the strange staging, Theroux casts people to feature in a short film that will re-enact moments of interest. It’s better than not having any footage as you talk about it, but it strays far away from what a documentary should look to find out, and it feels a lot less like a Theroux documentary the more it follows this lead.  

The re-enactments, for me, don’t add much. It’s to showcase the horrors that leader David Miscavige would place onto those that took part in this religion, but they feel more like a theme park of misery for Marty, a former Scientologist who was close with Miscavige. Marty dives between feeling nothing but disgust for the organisation and what Theroux is trying to do, but at the same time is eagerly waiting in the wings, just hoping Theroux or a cast member asks for his advice, of which he, for the most part, has no trouble in throwing their way. The balance is never protruding from the story though, and the lack of focus makes for an ultimately forgettable set of encounters between Theroux and Marty. The eerie stalking of the Church and how they interact with Theroux and his crew is fascinating, but loses its ominous charm rather quickly. It’s completely vacant on a repeat viewing.  

Perhaps the apathetic approach Theroux takes upon initially landing in the sunny streets of Hollywood is why this works better than it should. His usual style isn’t lost to the glossier, larger budget, instead it feels enhanced and stretched across a feature length running time. I don’t think Theroux and his crew quite manage to tap into the weird world of Scientology, but then again, the story that evolves around them is so out of their hands that it’s incredible that anything cognitive or clear-sighted made it out of this. Considering how warped the narrative becomes, and how many tangents Theroux finds himself spiralling down, it’s a real miracle that anything understandable or narratively sound makes it out of this muddled, but vaguely entertaining piece.