9. Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in House of God
Site rank: 6, IMDb rank: 11
Director: Alex Gibney
There have been very publicly discussed incidents of sex abuse by Catholic priests for at least the last thirty years, but Mea Maxima Culpa (“My Biggest Fault”) covers the protest of and reaction to 1960s events that were covered up. Four deaf men abused as children decide to raise a ruckus until they find justice, and the case is escalated through the ranks of the Catholic Church until it reaches the Pope himself. Gibney uses high-profile actors — Chris Cooper, Ethan Hawke, Mad Men’s John Slattery, and Law & Order’s Jamey Sheridan — to provide voices for the four men.
