Escapando da Seita Nxivm: A Luta de uma Mãe para Salvar a Filha

This is a wild story, a sex cult and an a fairly well known actress wrapped up in it. However, this re-enactment could have been better acted. The message was strong though, and I appreciate the struggle it must have taken to get something like this exposed.

This was a horrific, true event that was completely trivialized by how poorly the story was told! Making it even worse was Andrea Roth's "accent" that came & went throughout the movie...one of the worst attempts at a British accent EVER!

You can't have a cult without gullible people. Likewise, you can't have a great movie without good acting and professional cinematography. This film lacks both.

No, seriously, WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?

Most people (but certainly not all) my age went through the whole cult stupidity in the 1970s when glittery-eyed friends came back from an evening of not urinating and shouting "I got it" with Werner Erhard. They then watched those friends tank promising careers and disappear into a series of increasingly stupid human potential classes to "get it."

NXIVM is est, Amway, $cientology, LulaRich, the Big Lié, Mary Kay, etc., but with sex. Lots of sex. It involves the same love bombing, confessional/extortion, pop psychology, manipulation and guru. Just give us your money, sell our products and we will TRANSFORM you.

And, they all went back again and again to be told that they "just weren't doing it right, but we are the only ones who can show you how to do it."

This show dramatizes the material HBO set forth in "The Vow," as well as similar documentary series by STARZ, CNBC, NBC, BBC, and other networks. It is taken directly from Catherine Oxenberg's book, "Captive: A Mother's Crusade to Save Her Daughter." This seems to be a movie for people who don't read or watch documentaries.

For most of us, this particular cult seems like it targets wealthy young women who have too much money and no meaning in their lives. Had they been taught something more than exercising, make up and conspicuous consumption, maybe they wouldn't be so empty. People with bills and deadlines don't have the money to give to gurus, and, if they were tempted, might think twice about giving away something it took them so long to earn.

My low rating is for the soapy way the story is told.

The acting, direction and screenplay could have been better. But it's worth watching because it's a relevant and fascinating true story. It's a good warning for anything that seems vaguely cult like whether it's an offshoot religious organisation or business improvement scheme. With the coverage about Leah Remini there are eerie similarities. Trust your instincts and be wary of fraudsters.

The acting is uneven. Catherine Oxenberg herself looks great but the actress Andrea Roth playing her isn't very expressive and has a strange way of copying her accent that's hard to understand. The actress who plays India Oxenberg is pretty. All the blonde actresses look similar.

There is a good story that in the news right now. Its just the execution felt stilted.