White Lies

Born in Thailand inside the Children of God sect, an international cult with tens of thousands of followers worldwide and infamous for sexual abuse and manipulation, Alba Zari doesn’t remember her childhood. Desperate to remember, she dives into the painful consequences of indoctrination.

In White Lies, filmmaker Alba Zari sets upon a journey to navigate the labyrinth of lies and silences of the Children of God sect, and bring back the parts of her childhood that have disappeared from her memory. To find the identity of her father, she must confront her mother and grandmother to try to understand their choices. 

While at its core is Zari’s search for the truth, White Lies is an exemplary take on the fragility and beauty of a mother and daughter relationship. It’s in the dialogue between three generations that unimaginable suffering is translated into resilience and understanding. Traces of pain are shot as declarations of love, giving the protagonists the dignity they deserve and is often denied in the mainstream narration about cult adepts. White Lies uses documentary language to create a deeply moving and a powerful monument to acceptance and understanding after indoctrination.

–Rebecca De Pas

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