Director: Alex Gibney
Running time: 107 mins
Synopsis: A fastidious investigation into the ongoing scandal involving the Catholic Church and its role in nurturing and protecting paedophiles within its inner circle.
Gibney, who won an Oscar for best documentary in 2007 for TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE, proves with this striking piece of filmmaking that he has the fire in his belly to get to the bottom of any issue that peaks his interest.
Starting with one letter from a victim of Father Lawrence Murphy, who for more than 25 years got away with abusing young deaf boys in the school where he worked, MMC meticulously builds a damning and irrefutable case against the Catholic Church and, in particular, the Vatican.
Not only does it expose the Vatican as being complicit in many of the reported cases of child abuse, but it also emphasises the callous and pathetic excuses given by the parties concerned, when questioned about the lack of justice for the victims of abuse. They include reams of ridiculous statements such as ‘It’s been taken out of context by the media,’ ‘It’s purely an American problem,’ and the king of cowardice, Murphy’s deluded reasoning: ‘I committed these sins and accepted the consequences in order to sacrifice myself, so the boys wouldn’t be tempted to perform sexual acts on each other.’
Despite the grim subject matter, the main line of enquiry is comparatively positive, as Gibney follows several of the victims beginning to make serious steps towards achieving some form of justice; having been ignored and fobbed off with excuses for so many years by the all too powerful Catholic Church.
Whether you are religious or not, this is an enlightening and well-researched piece of journalism that must be seen by as many people as possible. Whilst most people are aware of this problem, they may not be aware of just how deep-seated it really is. MMC presents the cold hard facts, revealing the inherent hypocrisy of the Catholic Church, and just how influential it can be, to the point where human beings do not even matter any more.
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