Australia’s High Court has ruled that the Church of Scientology is a religion. Its practices have courted controversy here and overseas, and while the Church has been the subject of numerous exposés in the media, it remains a secretive and closed institution.

This searing documentary adds a revealing piece to the puzzle that is the Church by detailing its history, its basic philosophy and practices. Interviews from former members are combined with footage from Church gatherings and conferences, some of which rival a Republican or Democratic Party convention for stage production. Scientology is seriously huge.

Going Clear introduces viewers to the Church’s terminology, from practitioners called ‘auditors’ who use e-meters designed to weigh the mass of a subject’s thoughts to the ‘billion year contracts’ members can be expected to sign up to. The film provides fascinating backgrounds into Church founder L. Ron Hubbard, and the current Chairman of the Board, David Miscavige, and also comments upon the role of Scientology’s most visible and well-known advocate, Tom Cruise.

The Church has dismissed the documentary as the product of disgruntled former members and labelled it a hatchet job. While such a response is understandable, the claims of those who have ‘gone clear’ seem to be rational and fair-minded.

The film is informative, unsettling, shocking in places, and utterly compelling. The producers at HBO retained ‘approximately 160’ lawyers for the project so that should give you an idea of how charged its content is.

For those unfamiliar with his work, ‘Banksy’ is a street artist who has been plying his trade for the better part of two decades and who has become truly synonymous with the street art phenomenon. His work is satirical, oftentimes humorous, thought-provoking and, given the daring and usually illegal nature of its execution, controversial.

The best introduction to the man is through the 2010 documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop where his foray into directing manages to capture many of the artists of this clandestine world. (If you haven’t seen this, go check it out post-haste).

Banksy Does New York chronicles Banksy’s 2013 residency in New York where he delivers a piece each day for the month of October as part of a project called “Better Out Than In”. Without disclosing the details of what he produced, the residency required fans to find the pieces through a series of clues posted on Instagram, while the documentary itself was actually assembled by HBO using punters’ footage as they searched, located and enjoyed the 31 pieces in 31 days.

Like Exit Through the Gift Shop, this film is largely about society’s relationship with art. By some accounts it took only hours for some of his work to be destroyed but this didn’t affect the delivery of Banksy’s message or lessen the enjoyment of those who searched out his work.