I wish I had come to this IMDb page and saw that the title was "Escaping Polygamy (2014) Reality-TV". Unfortunately I read reviews elsewhere and they all referred to this as a documentary and that's what I thought I was getting when I watched it. The fact that it was a "lifetime channel original" should have tipped me off but I gave it a chance.
I do enjoy learning about the subject matter of polygamist cults but truth be known I watch every documentary I can get my hands on. The thing that set this apart from most other polygamist documentaries is that this focused on the younger generation and the families and those who try to leave the cult.
The vast majority of polygamist documentaries focus on the upper tier members like warren jeffs who have billions of dollars and commit child rape, forcing families to do his will and having his "enforcers" physically attacking those in the cult that offer resistance.
Almost immediately I noticed that several scenes were obviously staged. One in particular had a guy asking quietly if he could talk to a girl. They talked about someone in need of rescue but they obviously wanted to keep it a secret for the time being but the camera was right up in their face the entire time.
The interviews all felt scripted as did every aspect of this reality TV show. It easily could have been "breaking Amish" or "jersey shore". It also came across as cheap in content and production but this is standard with lifetime original movies.
All in all I cannot recommend this to anyone. If you want to see a REAL documentary about the subject that goes into much more depth check out Sons of Perdition (2010).
In fact compared to Sons of Perdition, this show seems insulting to the very serious subject matter. I gave Sons of Perdition an 8/10 rating. I gave this film a 2/10. That's my feelings and you can decide for yourself if you want to see it, just be forewarned this is more "reality TV" than a documentary.
I do enjoy learning about the subject matter of polygamist cults but truth be known I watch every documentary I can get my hands on. The thing that set this apart from most other polygamist documentaries is that this focused on the younger generation and the families and those who try to leave the cult.
The vast majority of polygamist documentaries focus on the upper tier members like warren jeffs who have billions of dollars and commit child rape, forcing families to do his will and having his "enforcers" physically attacking those in the cult that offer resistance.
Almost immediately I noticed that several scenes were obviously staged. One in particular had a guy asking quietly if he could talk to a girl. They talked about someone in need of rescue but they obviously wanted to keep it a secret for the time being but the camera was right up in their face the entire time.
The interviews all felt scripted as did every aspect of this reality TV show. It easily could have been "breaking Amish" or "jersey shore". It also came across as cheap in content and production but this is standard with lifetime original movies.
All in all I cannot recommend this to anyone. If you want to see a REAL documentary about the subject that goes into much more depth check out Sons of Perdition (2010).
In fact compared to Sons of Perdition, this show seems insulting to the very serious subject matter. I gave Sons of Perdition an 8/10 rating. I gave this film a 2/10. That's my feelings and you can decide for yourself if you want to see it, just be forewarned this is more "reality TV" than a documentary.