Sons of Perdition

A New Brand Of American Refugee--Kids On The Run, But With Nowhere To Go
For a documentary with such a straightforward and no-nonsense approach, "Sons of Perdition" packs an emotional punch that will likely stay with you. The story chronicles three years in the life of young men who have left Warren Jeffs' Fundamentalist Latter Day Saint (FLDS) sect. Jeffs' regime was extreme, to say the least, and his efforts to purify his clan makes for one of the most harrowing tales of isolationism in recent American history. He banned public schooling, all secular reading, and any recreational activities. He excommunicated other prominent men and systematically redistributed their holdings and families to suit his own interests. "Sons of Perdition" documents three exiled young men who have taken refuge in a neighboring town overrun by those in similar circumstances. But it's not an easy road to build a new life after years of emotional abuse. And despite escape, the world outside offers little solace and fewer choices to this ever expanding underground...

Escape from hell
"Sons of Perdition" is a documentary about the small town of Colorado City in Arizona, a community controlled by a bizarre cult known as the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS).

I read about Colorado City in several books, but this is the first time I've actually seen how the community looks like. The people wear old-fashioned dresses, and the girls ride horses or ponies. It looks creepy, like M. Night Shyamalan's movie "The Village" in real life. But of course, some people might find it idyllic, a little bit like the Amish. In reality, child labour is common, dating is prohibited, and all marriages are decreed by the leader, Warren Jeffs. The cult is polygamous, there are no real schools, and defectors are shunned. Warren Jeffs himself was recently sentenced to life imprisonment for various polygamy-related crimes.

"Sons of Perdition" follow a group of teenagers who manage to escape from the clutches of the cult. They move to the...

Trying to escape from Zion.
Here's a suggestion: Before you put this movie in your queue, read the book "Lost Boy" by Brent W. Jeffs. Brent grew up in the Fundamental Latter Day Saints (FLDS) and is actually a nephew of Warren Jeffs, the de-facto (though jailed) leader of that polygamous Mormon sect. The emotional and sexual abuse Brent endured is horrifying, but the book also provides an inside look into the bizarre and isolated FLDS world, in which Warren Jeffs is glorified a lot like Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il were glorified in North Korea. Read Brent Jeffs' book, THEN watch "Sons of Perdition." You will have a much better perspective on what these boys are going through.

Click to Editorial Reviews