Deprogrammed

Deprogrammed (2015) has all the excitement of watching paint dry, but with less color and a storyline that makes less sense. It aims to dive deep into the world of cult deprogramming, but somehow misses the pool entirely and ends up flopping on the concrete. The director, with a vision as clear as a muddy puddle, attempts to weave together interviews and archival footage, but the end result feels more like a confused grandmother trying to use a smartphone for the first time - it's endearing for a moment but quickly becomes a frustrating mess.

The documentary's pacing is so slow, you'll find yourself checking if your video player is accidentally set to 0.5x speed. Every revelation is presented with the enthusiasm of a DMV clerk at the end of a 12-hour shift. The filmmakers had the opportunity to explore the fascinating, dark world of cults and the complex process of deprogramming, yet they chose to present their findings with the depth of a kiddie pool. The only deprogramming needed here is of the viewer after watching, as you'll desperately seek to erase this cinematic snooze-fest from your memory.

In conclusion, 'Deprogrammed' manages to do the impossible: make an intriguing subject utterly boring. It's like going on a safari and spending the entire trip in the gift shop. The documentary is a meandering journey to nowhere, filled with missed opportunities and yawn-inducing interviews. Watching this film is akin to being trapped in a conversation with someone who thinks they're fascinating because they once saw a UFO, but all they have to show for it is a blurry photo of a street lamp. In a sea of captivating documentaries, this one sinks without a trace.

A better title for this propaganda piece might be 'Reprogrammed: Our Cult is the Right Cult' Let's start off by short-circuiting the people who will defend this crap. I'm an atheist, not part of any cult. I work full time, I study, I have friends and hobbies (A favorite technique of cultists like Patrick is to try to strip authority from any who oppose their teachings) Yes, I'm using the same language about him that he would use about any other cultist and that's because he is. He is proud of his use of abuse, torture and re-education techniques that are functionally identical those used by cults, and the military (Oh I went there! Why yes, waking soldiers up for 'drills' at all hours is a form of psychological conditioning that is designed in part of make them ready for emergencies but all to make them more obedient.) These people have the misguided belief that somehow working full time at a job you don't like, having a mortgage and credit card debit, a house full of possessions you don't really use often, etc is somehow different or better than the lives of people who chose to live in a commune. They blither about how people in cults are robots while sticking doggedly to their scripts about the superiority of their own belief system.

When you watch this film, do yourself a favor. Think about all the groups you belong to. Really think, don't just give it 10 seconds. Spend some time. Ask yourself about your life, your church, your big screen TV. Are you REALLY happy or have you just been told these are the things that make you happy. Are you actually any different from 'those poor deceived fools in that cult', or have you just been in the one you're in so long that you don't recognize its trappings.

Disappointing. This could have been an excellent film but it had an agenda and that agenda was selling authoritarianism. It never asked any of the hard questions, never dared challenge the status quo. It was a film for cultists about a cultist attacking other cults in often illegal and violent ways.

This documentary is about Ted Patrick, a man who originated cult deprogramming. However, unlike many deprogrammers his approach was active...and illegal in many cases. So, while parents claimed that their children were being held captive by various cults, Patrick abducting these 'kids' (most were legally adults) and forcing them to undergo his 'deprogramming' was in many ways the same behavior as the cults. The film interviews him, his secretary, various parents and folks who went through his deprogramming. As for the latter group, they give Patrick a very mixed set of reviews. Some are, in hindsight, very thankful for his intervention while others are still furious at him.

If you are looking for very clear answers about cult deprogramming, you won't find them here. Instead, the film offers both sides of the argument (which I appreciate) and lets the viewer decide what to think about this radical practice. Worth seeing.

By the way, one thing the documentary only glossed over very quickly is the way Scientology uses lawsuits, nuisance lawsuits and threats to silence critics. For more on that, try the film "Going Clear".