INDEPENDENT FILM FOR INDEPENDENT MINDS

This gripping documentary chronicles two years in the lives of three teenage boys who escape from the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints compound in Colorado City, AZ known as The Crick. Warren Jeffs, known as The Prophet, rules over this cult and exerts enormous power over his followers-they are permitted no contact with the outside world, they may read no magazines or books, the boys must work at dangerous jobs from an early age, and the girls must submit to the will of the men, often marrying male relatives who are much older. The cult, which also practices polygamy, is a splinter group of the more mainstream Mormon Church. The boys in this film-Sam, Joe, and Bruce-try to build new lives for themselves. Escaping from The Crick separates them from their families and leaves them with little financial or emotional support. We witness their struggle to find their places in the outside world and to help their family members escape from The Crick as well. This film clearly illustrates the effects of the emotional child abuse that fanatical religion can have on its victims. Although filmed in a relatively objective, documentary style, this movie elicits a strong emotional response. Recommended for anyone with an interest in religious movements, cults, or the cultural phenomenon of the LDS.