"Colonia Dignidad" is a documentary about the functioning of a reclusive group, founded by German settlers who had migrated (fled ?) to Chile.
If you want to determine whether a group is a sect, there's a more or less generally accepted checklist you can use. This checklist includes questions such as : does the group consist mainly of obedient followers in thrall to a charismatic leader ; do the followers believe that their leader has received a mandate from Heaven ; does the leader discourage critical thinking and secular knowledge ; does the leader preach virginity, chastity and probity while indulging in sexual kinks and quirks that would have given Caligula pause ? The "Dignidad" organization scored very, very high on the checklist. However, it went that extra mile by concluding an alliance with a dictatorial regime given to torture and assassination. The result was a hell of inhumanity and depravity, with political dissidents being tortured by, or on behalf of, Pinochet's cruellest henchmen.
It's a pretty good documentary ; it may not add much in the way of new information, but it analyses the phenomenon with an admirable clarity, mixing interviews and comments with contemporary footage. (I gather from the data on imdb that the documentary has been shown in a mini-series format. However, I watched it as a single continuous work. It was long, but never boring.) Many of the real-life details are jaw-dropping in their absurdity. For instance, the sect's leader succeeded in convincing his flock that newspapers were poisonous. As a result none of his followers dared to pick up an external and independent news source, from fear of becoming ill.
The documentary also asks some hugely relevant questions, such as : how did the group's leader (a ravening paedophile somewhat to the right of Genghis Khan) get away with his activities for so long ? Why did so many people - even people who should have known better - insist on treating his sect like a happy little community of farmers, philanthropists and idealists ? Who were his political friends and sponsors, both in Germany and in Chile ? And just who was manipulating whom ?
The documentary also includes a useful warning : if you're a parent, it's an excellent idea to take a VERY close look at the people you're entrusting your children to, for instance during a summer holiday. There's many a sport school, vacation club or youth organization which exists only in order to provide perverts with a steady supply of vulnerable victims.
So "Colonia Dignidad" is certainly worth your attention, although it's unlikely to leave you with a smile on your lips and a song in your heart.
If you want to determine whether a group is a sect, there's a more or less generally accepted checklist you can use. This checklist includes questions such as : does the group consist mainly of obedient followers in thrall to a charismatic leader ; do the followers believe that their leader has received a mandate from Heaven ; does the leader discourage critical thinking and secular knowledge ; does the leader preach virginity, chastity and probity while indulging in sexual kinks and quirks that would have given Caligula pause ? The "Dignidad" organization scored very, very high on the checklist. However, it went that extra mile by concluding an alliance with a dictatorial regime given to torture and assassination. The result was a hell of inhumanity and depravity, with political dissidents being tortured by, or on behalf of, Pinochet's cruellest henchmen.
It's a pretty good documentary ; it may not add much in the way of new information, but it analyses the phenomenon with an admirable clarity, mixing interviews and comments with contemporary footage. (I gather from the data on imdb that the documentary has been shown in a mini-series format. However, I watched it as a single continuous work. It was long, but never boring.) Many of the real-life details are jaw-dropping in their absurdity. For instance, the sect's leader succeeded in convincing his flock that newspapers were poisonous. As a result none of his followers dared to pick up an external and independent news source, from fear of becoming ill.
The documentary also asks some hugely relevant questions, such as : how did the group's leader (a ravening paedophile somewhat to the right of Genghis Khan) get away with his activities for so long ? Why did so many people - even people who should have known better - insist on treating his sect like a happy little community of farmers, philanthropists and idealists ? Who were his political friends and sponsors, both in Germany and in Chile ? And just who was manipulating whom ?
The documentary also includes a useful warning : if you're a parent, it's an excellent idea to take a VERY close look at the people you're entrusting your children to, for instance during a summer holiday. There's many a sport school, vacation club or youth organization which exists only in order to provide perverts with a steady supply of vulnerable victims.
So "Colonia Dignidad" is certainly worth your attention, although it's unlikely to leave you with a smile on your lips and a song in your heart.
