User reviews

Apostasy is the low-budget feature debut of writer/director Daniel Kokotajlo and, as the name implies, it tells the story of a breakdown in the relationship between a member of the faithful and the organised religion to which they adhere, which, in this case, is the Christian denomination movement known as Jehovah's Witnesses. However, whilst the film tells the story of one person abandoning their religion, it also tells the parallel story of two people who refuse to do so, committing themselves more and more to its practices, even as they come to question some of its dogma.

Ivanna (Siobhan Finneran) is a mother of two girls, Luisa (Sacha Parkinson) and her younger sister Alex (Molly Wright). Living in a working-class area in Oldham, Greater Manchester, all three are Witnesses, with Alex in particular embracing the role of a publisher (the name for Witnesses active in proselytising), even going so far as to learn Urdu so she can better preach to people in the neighbourhood. The film begins with Alex attending her doctor (Poppy Jhakra), who is explaining that her condition means she may need a blood transfusion in the future. Giving her a document to sign agreeing to allow such a procedure, the doctor promises to keep it a secret from Ivanna. Alex, however, has no interest in signing. Born anaemic, she received a blood transfusion when only a few hours old, against the wishes of Ivanna, and because of this, she is burdened with a sense of guilt, believing she must atone by adhering rigidly to Witness doctrine, helping at the local Kingdom Hall (the term used by Witnesses for their places of worship), and preaching door-to-door. Meanwhile, Luisa returns home from college, and tells Ivanna that she's pregnant, and even worse, the father is not a Witness. Ivanna is disgusted, demanding that Luisa marry the father. When she refuses, she is "disfellowshipped". However, as one of the requirements of disfellowship is that family members who remain Witnesses cannot have any significant contact, Ivanna forces Luisa to leave home. At the same time, Steven (Robert Emms) arrives in the neighbourhood as a new elder. He becomes friends with Ivanna and Alex, and after a few weeks, proposes to Alex.

This plot summary takes us up to about a half-hour in the film, which is loosely divided into three discernible acts - the first focuses on Alex, the second Luisa, and the third Ivanna. At the end of the first act, the plot takes a turn, which I have to admit, I didn't see coming, and which changes everything for the family and how they conduct themselves and observe their religious beliefs.

To fully engage with the film at a critical level, one must first contextualise its milieu a little. Kokotajlo is himself an apostate, as he was raised a Witness, but left in his 20s. According to official publications, there are now over eight million Witnesses worldwide. The refusal of blood transfusions (an important theme in the film) was introduced in the Netherlands in 1945, based primarily on Genesis 9:4 ("Only flesh with its life - its blood - you must not eat") and Leviticus 17:10 ("If any man of the house of Israel or any foreigner who is residing in your midst eats any sort of blood, I will certainly set my face against the one who is eating the blood, and I will cut him off from among his people"). In 1961, having a transfusion became grounds for disfellowship, at which time Dr. Américo Valério claimed transfusions lead to "moral insanity and sexual perversion," whilst Dr. Alonzo Jay Shadman argued, "the poisons that produce the impulse to commit suicide, murder, or steal are in the blood." It is estimated that in the period 1961-2016, over 33,000 Witnesses died rather than accept blood. In 2016 alone, there were over 1,200 deaths.

One of the most impressive aspects of the film is how implicitly Kokotajlo introduces many of these themes, trusting in the audience's intelligence to do the legwork, whilst not even providing us with music cues to tell us what we should be thinking at any given moment. For example, like most religions, Witnesses considers itself the only true religion, and only its adherents will be saved. This is brought to the fore when Alex encounters people who don't subscribe to her beliefs; meeting two of Luisa's college friends, she is bemused that they don't agree with Witness teachings, and even more incredulous when she finds out that not only are they not Witnesses, they are areligious altogether. It's a scene which deftly demonstrates the isolationist nature of Witnesses without telegraphing it.

Tied closely to this is the theme of having independent thoughts, which, again, is introduced very subtly. After Luisa is disfellowshiped, she makes an effort to return to the fold, but Steven expresses doubts as to whether she will succeed, as she "has too many of her own ideas," something frowned upon by Witnesses. That Kokotajlo views this as a central theme in the film is evidenced in multiple interviews he has given. Speaking to The Irish Times, he says, "one of the biggest things that happened to me was going to college. Suddenly, people were asking for my opinion on things. That was a new concept for me as a Witness. At the Kingdom Hall, if you were asked questions, it was an opportunity to say what was already there in the Watchtower." Similarly, speaking to The Guardian, he states, "I went to college, and that was the key, really. People would ask my opinion on something, and I would be scrambling round trying to find an answer in a text somewhere - because that's what life as a Witness is like. It's group thinking based on the interpretation of a text." Likewise, speaking to Screen International, he explains, "I was harbouring doubts since I went to college. I realised that people at college were interested in your opinion. That was a new concept to me because being a Witness it was always about reaffirming the text, group-think, it wasn't about encouraging independent thought."

Another important theme is even more implicit - likening Witnesses to Scientology. This is never overtly addressed, but Kokotajlo's presentation of how Witnesses deal with certain issues unquestionably draws parallels with how Scientologists deal with those same issues. This is perhaps most obvious in how the film depicts disfellowship, emphasising that the family of someone who has been disfellowed must cut off contact with them. This is virtually identical to the notion of "suppressive persons" in Scientology, and according to Kokotajlo, "that's representative of what a lot of Witnesses have to go through. Family members are forced to shun other family members."

Looking at the film in a more aesthetic sense, an interesting stylistic device is how Kokotajlo presents characters talking to Jehovah. Although they speak aloud, the people around them don't hear what they're saying (think of a soliloquy on a crowded stage in Shakespeare). This essentially positions the viewer as Jehovah - just like Him, we are in a position to hear what others cannot. Indeed, on a couple of occasions, this positioning of the viewer is foregrounded even more, as characters speak direct-to-camera. It's a daring move, but one which is extremely well handled, unifying form and content.

The film is undeniably bleak, but never melodramatic, in its depiction of the conflicts that can arise when a family dynamic is in diametrical opposition to Witness doctrine. However, a vital point is that whilst the film is highly critical of the closed-off nature of the religion, the rules and regulations, it depicts very humanised characters. In relation to this, Kokotajlo says, "one of the aims of the film was to treat the Witnesses with a lot of respect. I have a lot of compassion for the people within the religion. It's the rules that the organisation creates that I have an issue with. Not the people trying to navigate those rules."

Along the same lines, the acting is exemplary, which each of the three leads evoking both sympathy and derision at different points. That the viewer can empathise with a staunch fundamentalist such as Ivanna is testament both to Finneran's nuanced performance and Kokotajlo's compassionate screenplay. The story obviously comes from a place of respect; this is not an arbitrary and/or sarcastic hit-job written by someone who is bitter about their time in the religion, but is instead a presentation of how Witness dogma can affect the people on the ground. Dogmatic proclamations from on-high are all very well and good, but what happens when they clash with the everyday? This is essentially what the film is about, and Kokotajlo handles it brilliantly.

From a directorial point of view, he keeps things simple and functional. The lack of budget works for the narrative, as Kokotajlo shuns any kind of directorial gymnastics in lieu of a pseudo-documentarian approach to the material, with the influence of people such as Anthony Asquith, Terence Rattigan, and Ken Loach unmistakable. In this sense, Oldham comes across as a very real and lived-in neighbourhood, as opposed to an abstract society which feels like it doesn't exist beyond the parameters of the text.

All things considered, this is strong filmmaking; in equal measure emotive without being apologist, and informative without being condemnatory - not an easy balance to pull off by any means.

Being brought up in the religion I was interested to watch this. I have to say whoever put this film together has a real insight into how it is. Made me feel really sad to be honest at the end. A religion that makes you choose between your life, your own flesh and blood and God. No loving God would ever do that. It depicts the Witnesses exactly as they are - when you're completely convinced of your own superiority nothing else matters. There's no real feeling, love or concern or care. Just what they believe is 'Jehovah's' will. A very lonely place to be. It's not until you become 'worldly' that you realise that you wouldn't want to live in the 'new system' anyway with people who you have nothing beneath the surface other than Jehovah and taking scripture way too literal. A lot worry about leaving the religion because they're worried about being lonely. Worried they will be shunned by family and friends for making a different choice but as the film really shows the reality of their religion is also very lonely. 'All is vanity ....'

Apostasy. Fictional yet all too real film about the jehovah's witnesses, as based on the memories of the writer / director who had himself been disfellowshipped from the religion. Brought back memories of how close my siblings and I had been brought up as witnesses like my mum's sisters and offspring. Fortunately dad insisted we were brought up Catholic........ and mum didn't fall under the Witnesses' spell, unlike my aunties (who were in the religion for many years before seeing the hypocrisy of it all for themselves). Also brought back memories of how people can be brainwashed by the 'elders' into banishing their family in the name of the 'truth'. A superbly acted and poignant 7 out of ten.

This is a realistic portrayal of the insulated life of a Jehovah Witness and the control they live under. The pain of isolation from family and community when one no longer wishes to be known as one of them. This is the reality for the thousands of Witnesses who have left. An eye opener for anyone who is curious about knowing more about Jehovah's Witnesses. The person you see at the cart or knocking at your door carries a heavy burden.

The Jevovah's Witnesses appear, to the outsider, as a strange, cult-like religious grouping. 'Apostasy' is a film about a family living in northern England under the influence of this cult. Their lives appear bleak by design, a series of self-inflicted miseries; it's hard to see a God-of-Love in their beliefs. The film is similarly bleak-natured; unlike Jeanette Winterson's 'Oranges are not the only Fruit', which celebrated rebellion against northern Pentacostals and the joy of new discovery, there's only pain here, as individuals struggle with their deep-seated sense of obligation. Although it the world as depicted appears very old-fashioned, I can believe that for some people 21st-century life is still like this. The film shows us several perspectives; perhaps the narrative would have been more compelling had it centred on just one.

Last night my wife and I went to a screening in Sheffield and the film's writer and director was there to field a far too short Q & A session afterward.

It wasn't an easy film to watch and, in hindsight, it really only exposes the tiniest tip of what is, in reality, a truly gigantic, ugly iceberg. For someone like me who was a JW for nearly 40-years and had been either a ministerial servant (deacon), or elder for most of that time, it had an additional layer of uncomfortable poignancy.

Notwithstanding all the remedial good we've done, or attempted to do since we came "out", with a fly-on-the-wall film like this you can't help being reminded of the harm you undoubtedly caused even though the "help" you were trying to give at the time may have been well-intentioned. The road to hell truly can be very often paved with good intentions.

The film will have a very strong emotional impact for ex-JWs dependent on a number of salient factors. How long they were in...how long they've been out...how much deprogramming they have had or pursued subsequently, and how much damage they suffered during both their time "in" and/or how they've been treated following their exit.

Virtually the whole of the audience was comprised of ex-Witnesses. (This did not surprise me.) Represented there were young and old, men and women, disfellowshipped, disassociated or some that simply faded away. One thing that was agreed on by all, though, was that even though it was a work of fiction that the director had woven his own experiences and memories into, he had managed to encapsulate a real truthfulness into every one of the characters.

The hard-hearted and judgemental elders. The gossipy sisters. The rather awkward courtship/pairing rituals. The ordinary folks who are emotionally torn and battling to suppress their inner humanity in obedience to directives from "above". And overshadowing everything - a naïve, blinkered and unthinking mindset.

I use the word "unthinking" advisedly. Our received mindset actually decried and tried to suppress independent thinking and we instinctively tried to hide from the facts of history as they pertained specifically to the Watchtower Society. Many of us are "out" now because we managed to climb over that particular hurdle and start, maybe for the first time, to REALLY start to think!

It was great that after the screening we were able to have some really good, meaningful conversations... as well as the opportunity to compare scars. And it will be great to possibly meet up with some of them as a way of continuing to provide some much needed support.

If you haven't seen "Apostasy" yet, by all means, search out an opportunity to do so. However, bear in mind that if you are an ex-JW (or a naughty current JW) and do decide to watch it, you may experience some degree of triggering.

As an ex-JW from a neighbouring area, I am blown away by the accuracy of this film. Kokotajlo has masterfully pieced together a dynamic representation of the life of a JW family. One that is being torn apart and a story that all JW's have experienced, to some degree, either directly or indirectly. The viewer is transported to a place that is closed off from "the world".

As many other reviews have said, this film portrays very realistically life in this destructive cult (if you question that description, you are either one of JWs or you have never studied the qualities of cults and compared them with this organization).

I only gave it a 7 because it is at best mistitled. I was expecting the issue of apostasy to be dealt with.

There was very little apostasy involved. An apostate is someone who renounces belief. For purposes of Jehovah's Witnesses, it usually refers to someone who no longer believes the Watchtower speaks for God. Usually due to investigation brought on by some significant life event or experience.

The person who was disfellowshipped was not disfellowshipped for apostasy (which is, in fact, a disfellowshipping "offence"). This happens relatively early so should not be considered a spoiler. And she really didn't act like an apostate. She mentioned two or three questions in passing but didn't really ever show that she had "woken up" as someone does who is called an apostate.

The film is basically all about shunning and the blood issue. These are important issues for sure, and so the film is very worthwhile overall (though depressing).

JWs knocking at doors and then more recently peddling their leaflets on the street in every corner of the world, distinctive in their smart clothing, interest me in their choice to adhere to a very strict, insular religion, which is in so many ways at odds with and on the fringes of mainstream Christianity.

This film created an eerie and bleak picture of the worship and home life of JWs. The colour scheme and sparse decor were excellently crafted. The story itself was a fascinating exploration of faith and the authority structure in place in what appears to be a very unforgiving and rigid system. Many issues were touched on: the refusal of blood, non-celebration of birthdays, rejection of the cross as a symbol, strict attendance at meetings, "taking the trolley out" and the obligation/time commitment to do mission work, and strict moral code. Many aspects of their theological doctrine were also touched upon.

Of course, the central plot was the process of "disfellowshipping" a member who had strayed from the path. JWs often argue that this only happens when a serious sin has been committed for which the person does not repent. The film portrayed the process as wholly lacking in humanity and leading to the total and complete breakdown of the disfellowshipped's family. The friction between the JWs' teaching and demands, versus the desired and natural closeness by mother and daughters, was striking.

Even though it wasn't the main plot of the film, I found myself disturbed by the "courting" relationship between the young girl and the elder, who seemed alarmingly old for her. Working as a gardener and window cleaner respectively, the plan was that they would marry and be "looked after by the Organisation until the New System". I find resonance with my own faith, where I have recently witnessed the urgent "hunt" for a wife by someone before taking up a position in the church.

Overall, much food for thought. The film could have been a lot longer and shown us many more things! I hope the director makes more content dealing with his experiences in this religion.

I went into this film with high hopes. As someone who knows very little about Jahovas Witnesses I was intrigued about how such a story would translate to someone like me. The answer is: not very well. Films like this show the ridiculousness of religion, and that is one huge problem for the film. As an outsider, I can't help but laugh when the mother says: 'you'll have to start bringing him to meetings', which I don't think was the desired effect. The style seems like a cheap Bergman flick, which obviously does it no help. After five minutes of staring at bored faces, I can't help but become bored myself. I commend what it was trying to do, and I think the director has great potential, but I did not think that this was a wise creative choice. The lack of a soundtrack is near fantastic. I find it appreciable when a director can make such a bold choice, but there are certainly moments when a bold theme, or powerful piano may have aided. What I'm trying to say is that the silence ended up a little too awkward. The script is easily the weakest element. Every time I heard the word "Truth" or "System" I phased out a little. With a stricter editor, it could become so much more. The performances from the three younger characters were good and showed promise. Ivana however just looked bored, and only showed any sort of character or facial expression once. It's a shame in comparison to her other work. As for the ending, there was fantastic potential, that was unfortunately spat back in our face. You'll understand when you see it, but had the course of events been different, I would have a much kinder disposition. There was one shot that I'd steal for my next project, but other than that this is one for the small screen. I really hope you Daniel follows this up with something far more suitable for what his talents can demonstrate.

Last night I watched this film with my wife, and we had been Jehovah's Witnesses for near on sixty years. Without giving away any spoilers, the director was accurate in every way with the belief system and indoctrination of this cult. We too were expected (and did for ten years) completely shun two daughters at age sixteen who were vulnerable, had been abused by another member of the fatih, and 'went off the JW rails.' The cost....enormous in emotional energy and happiness.

I was interested in the demeanor of the main character (mother) and noticed just how sad and unhappy she was all the way through 'doing the right thing.' Surely obeying God, if this is what is required, should make us happy, but the film got it spot on. Next time you see any Jehovah's Witnesses at their carts, watch to see if they are smiling and happy, if they are not on their phones.

If you want to know what Jehovah's Witnesses believe without it being sugar coated.....this film is for you. I can vouch that it is 100% accurate in all details and I hope will go some way to alerting people to the reality of the religion.

I was excited to watch Apostasy, as someone who has always been interested in theology/religions the JW's have always been somewhat of a mystery to me.

The story line here is very realistic and well executed. Ivanna (Siobhan Finneran) is a devout member of the organization of Jehovah Witnesses'. She is a working class single mother of two girls, Alex and Luisa. It is a fairly slow paced film, no dramatic music or particularly shocking scenes, Just an overall feeling of the emotional prison these women are in and how terrifying a test of faith can be.

In some ways I think this may have worked better as a 2/3 part TV drama series than a film, but nonetheless worth a watch if you are interested in this kind of thing, if not you may find it a little dull

I was a JW for many years and watched this movie and expected a lot more from it. It was truly dull and never really depicted the horrid cult of Watch Tower as evil and twisted, which it truly is. They regularly drive people to suicide because of their "shunning" policy, but this was never touched upon in any meaningful way. The acting was very good but the screenplay was a tepid affair that didn't hit home the truth about this cult. I definitely couldn't sit through this again. I give it 3 stars because of the solid acting.

Didn't expect this to be fun, but it did turn out to be even bleaker than anticipated.

I can say this about it: what it's trying to do is incredibly admirable. Shedding light on the Jehovah's Witnesses and the awful damage they can do to people is important.

And it's probably something few people still know about. Chris Stuckmann's recent video was genuinely eye-opening, as was this film, which he mentioned in said video. The second highest rated review here (already) is one that also mentions Stuckmann's video. Clearly we still have a lot of learning to do as the human race, because these recent revelations have been truly surprising for many- count me among them.

Adding to its message and depiction of the life within this cult (yeah, it seems more of a cult than a religion, really) is some quite good acting, which is impressive when one considers that the disappointing screenplay doesn't give the actors much to work with.

Things unfold in an admittedly unpredictable fashion, but there is surprisingly little urgency or weight to the proceedings. I felt sorry for the characters, sure, but never truly emotionally invested.

Visually, it's flat too. The only real thing it tries to do that's unique is have shots sometimes where characters have a lot of head room (I dunno, to imply a metaphorical weight hanging over their heads? Or the fear of some almighty being watching from high above?) but it just looks so awkward and more like things are badly framed than anything else.

Said visuals coupled with the dull screenplay make the film a bit of a slog to get through, and slightly disappointing when it comes to emotional or entertainment value.

BUT: the acting is good, and the exposure of the inner workings of the Jehovah's Witnesses is vital and admirable. I hope word continues to spread, and furthermore, hope that one day someone attempts another film like this, but in a way that gives the story and themes more of a visceral impact.

This film is about being a part of a Jehovah's Witness family in the North of England. I was brought up as a JW in England and this film captures the faith and community perfectly. The location of the film fitted the subject matter with its 'grim up North' Ken Loach style. It is very gritty, painfully accurate, and it captures the personalities of a typical JW extremely well. The performance from the actress playing the mother was very strong. I could see her in so many of the JW parents that I encountered when growing up - "just come back to the meetings" is repeated ad nauseum just as it is in the JW religion. This is by far the most realistic portrayal of the JW religion that I have ever seen.

. . . is like asking Mary Todd Lincoln to review "Our American Cousin." This film received lots of 8s, 9s, and 10s from viewers, most of whom are ex-JWs with an axe to grind. As former JW away from the sect for over 40 years, I was amazed to see how things have remained unchanged, according to the film. The attitudes and platitudes are still the same. No quarter asked or given; my-way-or-the-highway resolve of the committee, even among sympathetic members. This film begs the question: just how much stony heartlessness is one sinner obliged to endure on the path to redemption? The standard JW response is "Read Job." Christianity never promised a rose garden in this world. As for me, I couldn't hack it. Too weak. I thought the film well-acted and portrayed a religion I knew all too well from the inside. The pacing was leisurely but appropriate for the story. It did not feel slow. I kept waiting for something horrendous to happen which would cause the faithful to feel justified in their religion but the horrors originated from within the faithful, just like real life. I rated the film a 7 simply because the sound was, in my opinion, kind of muddy which made understanding the Brit accent difficult at times.

As an ex-JW born into this religion, I can truthfully say this film is very realistic. The dialogue is 100% authentic as to the common retorts of rank and file JWs as well as elders. The film nicely covers the JWs refusal of blood transfusions, as well as the practice of shunning. The ending portrays what life is really like for a faithful JW, who is prepared to give up everything for this religion/cult. It may not be a film enjoyed everyone, but for ex-members and their support network, as well as those interested in Social Psychology, it provides a reliable guide as to why ex-JWs need support and love after they break free. To have your family who you love shun you is a terrible experience that impacts a persons self-identity, self-esteem and belonging, and can have serious mental-health consequences, and suicides. Anyone contemplating joining the religion should watch this film, so they realise what they will have to lose, should they, or their children decide to follow another path a few years down the line. Excellent film, 100% accurate. Well done to the writer/director

From the trailer it seem like it was going to be one of these where a person fights aganist the rules of their religon. I mean you did have some of that but it was told from the central view of the religon itself and not from the perspective of the person who turned away. Which going into this is what I thought it would be. It is not. It is very much a jehovah's witness center movie and a movie very much about the church not about the rebellion against it. It was very good for what it was just was not what the trailer led it to be. Also kind of a slow movie which worked for it but just warning those who may be put off by that.

Surely the two most fundamental things that a film needs are good acting and a good script. This one had neither. I have no ideological ax to grind, I have no religious beliefs but am interested in religion as a phenomenon. Nobody in this piece came across as sincere or passionate. Blank expressions were the order of the day, and all opportunities for real drama were thrown away. They managed to make potentially promising material simply boring. I couldn't believe in any of the characters or the story itself. All the film managed to achieve was to make the JW cult appear dangerous and ridiculous, which is pretty easy to do. One to avoid in my opinion. See 'First Reformed' instead.

I was a Jehovah's Witness for eight years. Disassociated. (That means I left on my own free-will.) The movie is very well made and 100% accurate with the terminology and procedures used by Jehovah's Witnesses. It does not sugar coat the issues between the Watchtower Organization's brutal policy of shunning disfellowshipped family members, nor does it even resolve the issues or comforts the viewer. The movie simply gives us the hard truth of the impact caused by extreme religious indoctrination. One can only watch this and reflect on their own experience.

Siobhan Finneran really does turn in an effective performance as the mother "Ivanna" in his skin-crawlingly toxic drama that depicts a close family of Jehovah's Witnesses. She has two daughters who enthusiastically spend time trying to spread the word of God (in Urdu, frequently) amongst their community going from door-to-door. Quickly, we learn that "Alex" (Molly Wright) is not doing so well, and that there are issues about a life-saving blood transfusion that conflict profoundly with the family's faith. Her sister "Luisa" (Sacha Parkinson) adds to the complications when she announces that she's expecting a child with her boyfriend - and he's not in the congregation nor are they married. The expected tragedy duly ensues and this seriously tests the faith of "Luisa" who ends up ostracised by her peers to the extent that even her mother is largely forbidden from contact. As this separation continues, both women have to deal with their priorities and that's where the story becomes really quite visceral. This isn't the place to discuss the relative merits of the religiosity, but what we see here is an example of just how disagreeable zealousness can be when it's codification results in unhappiness for just about everyone. The promises made by so many religions that what's good in life is a "gift" and what's not is a "test" is potently conveyed here by auteur Daniel Kokotajlo and leaves us with a distinctly unpleasant taste in the mouth. The two women at the centre of the story manage to create an environment that really does get under your skin and they are ably aided, quite subtly, by the really quite odious characterisations of "Steven" (Robert Emms) and "Brian" (James Quinn) whose constant "we understand, but..." approach to the troubles faced in grief and despair make you want to throw something at the screen. As a drama, the production is simple as it allows the theology to do the work - and though it's not an easy watch, it does provoke quite a bit of thought and question the concepts of blind faith.

The film (Apostasy (2018), attempts to show how a family of Jehovah's Witnesses are affected when confronted with a family member who chooses to flaunt the groups Bible based standards, leading to being disfellowshipped. Also, the issue of blood transfusion is a major theme. My problem with the film is that no effort is made to explain the scriptural basis for their beliefs that have so profound an effect on the decisions governing their lives, but rather a covert appeal is made to the sentiments and sensibilities of those who identify with the characters at an emotional level. The film therefore constitutes a distortion of the truth. This is a misrepresentation of Jehovah's Witnesses and only disfigures the public's perception of them and their bible based beliefs.

Jehovah's Witnesses is one of the most famous sects in the world, yet it doesn't get anywhere near as much exposure as Scientology. This is probably one of the best faith based movies I've ever seen, mostly because it deals with the emotional and moral consequences the things you are taught to believe can have on those you love in a very realistic way. The acting is natural and none of the performers feel like people acting for a movie. It was like getting into the look of a real family and their hardships. As for how Jehovah's Witnesses members themselves are portrayed, the point is not to show them as evil. It's more of a cautionary stance, on whether it's worth jeopardizing your children's lives because of your conviction to follow one certain ideology. The controversy about Jehovah's Witnesses is that you are not allowed to give or receive blood, even in life-threatening circumstances. The mother in this movie is not an inherently bad person, she just can't find a way to balance her love for God and the love for her children. And that has consequences she might wish she would never had to deal with.

This movie will stay with you after you've watched it. I urge those who not only are interested in the subject matter of organized sects to see it, but those who think a lot about beliefs and how they can affect other people in general.