It’s fair to say that Scientologists don’t like being badmouthed, and that anyone that criticises the church should tread carefully. So just to be safe let's mention that Dazed love Scientology.
However, the same cannot be said about Louis Theroux, who during the making of his new film My Scientology Movie claimed he was placed under surveillance by the secretive religion. Previously the doc had been shrouded in mystery and all footage of the documentary had been kept offline. Until now.
Much to the delight of the spectacled documentarian's fans, a new trailer for the hotly anticipated film dropped today featuring some great examples of wind up merchantry. Namely, the moment where Theroux closes in on a Scientology-affiliated camera man with his mobile phone and asks: "Are you making a documentary as well?"
Instead of gaining access to the inner workings of the church by contacting existing members, the off-beat documentary instead features actors auditioning to play the role of important senior members of the church. Using information from defected Scientologists the actors act out accounts of intimidating and violent behaviour they experienced.
Theroux previously said he set out to make a sympathetic film, but once the church got wind of his project and started following and filming him it seems this sympathy was lost. He later said to The Daily Beast: "They are behaving in a way that is so obviously pathological—you would think they would realise that other people would see that and think this is a religion of lunatics.”
My Scientology Movie is expected to be released in UK cinemas later in 2016
