10 Controversial Documentaries Since 2000 That Shouldn't Be Ignored

2. Going Clear: Scientology & The Prison Of Belief

Back to director Alex Gibney now, who really is one of the great modern documentary filmmakers. His film here, Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief - based on the book of the same name - is one of the most controversial of recent times, so much so that most American networks, in fear of the "religion's" (read: cult's) belligerent nature, refused to licence the film, something the director found "astounding". A complex, in-depth look at the Church of Scientology and its founder, L. Ron Hubbard, Gibney's film is brimming with enlightening interviews with those who've turned their back on the religion (hereinafter referred to as a cult), most notably film director, Paul Haggis, who reached the upper echelons of the cult's "level" based system before realising it was a sham. (The filmmakers were denied access to the most famous of all Scientologists, Tom Cruise, who is featured heavily in archive footage which paints him as a bona-fide weirdo, at one point addressing thousands of devotees while draped in a plate-sized gold medal with a green strap as thick as the width of his shoulders.) Heavily criticised and refuted by the Church (something which proves the film's power), the film sparked a multitude of responses from the cult, who even went so far as to open a twitter account dedicated to steering people towards anti-Going Clear material.