Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief

Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief examines the Church of Scientology through the accounts of eight people who left it. Drawn from Lawrence Wright's book, the film combines archival material, internal documents and on-camera interviews to trace how the organization was founded, how it draws in new followers, and what members were asked to do on its behalf. Among those interviewed is filmmaker Paul Haggis, and the church's public profile is addressed through its connections to prominent celebrity members. Alex Gibney directed and wrote the documentary, which runs two hours.

The film arrived in 2015, partway through a long run of nonfiction features by Gibney that includes Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God and The Armstrong Lie, and it was followed the same year by Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine. Wright produced alongside Gibney and Kristen Vaurio. Jason Beghe and Lawrence Wright appear as themselves, Sherry Stringfield voices Sara Northrup, and the film draws on archive footage of Tom Cruise, with Gibney narrating.

On IMDb it holds a critics' rating of 7.8/10 from 94 reviews, while on TMDB it has a rating of 7.6/10 from 887 votes. The two scores sit close together, indicating broad agreement between reviewers and viewers. Made in the United States by Jigsaw Productions, HBO Documentary Films and Sky Atlantic, the film was released in January 2015.