This is a unique foray into the Church of Scientology. Radio-Canada’s investigative program Enquête infiltrated one of these organizations in Quebec City. Thanks to Pierre, a collaborator who pretended to have a bipolar disorder controlled with medication, we were able to document how this church welcomes people struggling with mental health problems. Pierre notably submitted himself to a lie detector, then he was sent to a mechanical garage owner, and finally he was asked to visit an accomplice doctor in order to purify himself. This extraordinary journalistic investigation reveals that the Church of Scientology is practicing medicine in Canada — illegally. The collaborator’s commitment was 24/7 for 3 months — a true tour de force. He had to be accessible at all times for visits, texts and calls. The infiltration was thoroughly scripted after hours of analysis of clandestine recordings. This allowed our source to develop relationships with the Scientologists and advance the investigation without ever being unmasked. The piece is composed of live infiltration sequences, archives and interviews that are threaded together in a judicious editing building up to moments of true revelation. The choice was made not to use voiceovers that could add distance to the narrative and let the viewer form their own opinion.
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