Summaries

A film about cults and the the indomitable human soul.

An intelligent exploration of how cults attract and manipulate their followers, this documentary shares the disturbing firsthand experiences of Cult Witness director Samuel Stefan and six others who have freed themselves from cults: Jill Mytton (The Exclusive Brethren), Jim Bergin and Judy Garvey (The Gentle Wind Project), Lea Saskia Laasner (The Janus Project), and Celeste Jones and Amoreena Winkler (The Children of God). Analytical insights into the cultic experience are provided by leadership expert Betty Sue Flowers; Benjamin Zablocki, chair of the Department of Sociology at Rutgers University; UCLA Professor Emeritus Bertram Raven, an expert on interpersonal influence and social power relationships; psychotherapist Miguel Perlado, who specializes in cult-related problems; and Urs Eschmann, a specialist in legal issues involving cults.—Films Media Group

Details

Keywords
  • human
Genres
  • Thriller
  • Drama
  • History
  • Biography
  • Documentary
Release date Nov 14, 2012
Motion Picture Rating (MPA) TV-G
Countries of origin United States Germany United Kingdom France Switzerland
Official sites Official site
Language English
Production companies Arthio Films

Box office

Tech specs

Runtime 1h 10m
Color Color
Aspect ratio

Synopsis

An intelligent exploration of how cults attract and manipulate their followers, this documentary shares the disturbing firsthand experiences of Cult Witness director Samuel Stefan and six others who have freed themselves from cults: Jill Mytton (The Exclusive Brethren), Jim Bergin and Judy Garvey (The Gentle Wind Project), Lea Saskia Laasner (The Janus Project), and Celeste Jones and Amoreena Winkler (The Children of God). Analytical insights into the cultic experience are provided by leadership expert Betty Sue Flowers; Benjamin Zablocki, chair of the Department of Sociology at Rutgers University; UCLA Professor Emeritus Bertram Raven, an expert on interpersonal influence and social power relationships; psychotherapist Miguel Perlado, who specializes in cult-related problems; and Urs Eschmann, a specialist in legal issues involving cults.

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