Plot Outline: Claire Palmore (Jodhi May) is caught in the web of a dangerous religious cult. Her mother (Prunella Scales) hires a cult de-programmer (James Earl Jones) who must rescue her before it's too late.
Date: 22 July 2003 Summary: Thoughtful and Unique Drama
(Some spoilers; just trying to describe the movie)
This was a telefilm produced by both the US and the UK and
shown on PBS's Masterpiece Theatre. It's really like watching
several seemingly different stories unfold, and the satisfaction of
seeing them all tie into one another. It's a patient story, so I don't
want to say it's "slow" or "boring" but I advise people to really let the
film set its own pace, reveal its complex characters and the bigger
story of what faith means to a person.
It's not a religious story, but it shows multiple views of personal
faith: the conflict between a logic-minded son and his father who is
a church leader; the effect on Christianity and strict parenting
which alienates a daughter and allows her to be vulnerable to a
mysterious cult. It also touches on the secular blind faith behind
historical institutions -- how our own histories are like Biblical
passages, unwilling to be rewritten or reconsidered. I was really
impressed by this story. It left more questions than answers, and
that's what made it so compelling and unforgettable.
The story picks up the pace when James Earl Jones' character, a
de-programmer, is hired by the mother of the family who lost their
daughter to the strange doomsday cult. In order to get her back,
they essentially have to kidnap her and brainwash her again to get
her back to normal, a process that is intentionally uneasy, meant
to make you think cult de-programming is no different than cult
re-programming. But don't get me wrong -- this in no way
sanctifies cults in any way. To loosely quote a character from the
movie: there are signs and wonders everywhere -- it simply
depends on what you want see.
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