By John Corrado

★★★ (out of 4)

Taking a very meta approach to exploring its material, My Scientology Movie becomes just as much about the intense blowbacks that come with trying to make a documentary about Scientology, as it is about the infamous organization and its cultish ideology.

The film follows the BBC’s Louis Theroux as he tries to investigate the church, filming himself attempting to gain access to the private offices where much abuse has allegedly taken place, and even hiring an actor to play their leader David Miscavage (Andrew Perez) in some eery and ingeniously done reenactments.

There is a fascinating “who’s filming who” dynamic going on whenever he is confronted by people from the organization, calmly facing off with them and refusing to back down as he is confronted on camera in some of the film’s most interesting and revealing moments.  Former church official Marty Rathburn also makes for a compelling subject, revealing flashes of his own tortured psyche from his time in the organization as he consults on the project.

Entertaining and also more than a little scary to watch, My Scientology Movie shows the true scope of the organization’s reach, and their attempts to silence at all costs anyone who speaks out against them, which we see first hand throughout the film.

My Scientology Movie is now playing in limited release at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema in Toronto.  Tickets and showtimes can be found right here.