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Yesterday, NXIVM (also stylised as Nxivm) founder Keith Raniere was sentenced to 120 years in prison.

He was found guilty last year on charges including racketeering, sex trafficking, sexual exploitation of a child, and human trafficking.

During that trial, many disturbing details came to light, including the fact that followers were often branded with Raniere’s initials, ‘KR’, and kept in cages or ‘dungeons’.

This sordid story was always going to be turned into a docuseries, and HBO has done just that with The Vow.

Here’s that synopsis:

From Oscar-nominated, Emmy-winning directors Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer (“The Square,” “Control Room,” “Startup.com”), The Vow examines the self-improvement group NXIVM, whose leaders have been charged with sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy.

The docuseries takes a deep, nuanced look at the experiences of its members, spotlighting their universal desire for personal growth.

Amidst claims by NXIVM participants of both profound transformation and devastating abuse, the series seeks to reveal the issues behind the headlines and explore the emotional toll of unfolding events on these individuals.

Isn’t it strange how often these ‘self-help’ groups turn into sex cults?

Anyway, here’s the trailer:

Entertainment Weekly says it “may be the closest we ever get to understanding why [the cult] was allowed to begin in the first place”, and scored it an A-.

I’ll take that.

The series has already aired, so you can dive right in.

[sources:hbo&ew]