User reviews

I was moved deeply nearly to tears watching this film on SBS 2 last night. The film deals with important issues in such a sincere and sensitive way. The film shared a great deal with my personal experience to choose between my faith and my now (ex) fiancé. An impossible decision that has brought a life time of pain and regrets. It is a terrible dilemma for a young person to face these issues. I am glad this important and wonderful film was made because I expect many people have had to go through this and it is heartbreaking, but helpful to see how others manage the situation. Always be true to yourself. We can find the Lord Yahweh anywhere, you don't have to be in a church. As long as you obey His commandments, we need His guidance and discernment when it is not always His will but Mans religion which is different. Good Luck to all young people to be strong and find happiness without control and brainwashing.

For those interested in the social and cultural influences of certain religions in modern society, Worlds Apart offers an interesting, realistic perspective of a Jehovah's Witness girl trying to reconcile her faith, whilst involving herself in a relationship with a "non-believer" older boy.

It's quite a simple storyline presented by co-writer/director Niels Arden Oplev and clearly based on a true Danish story, but enhanced by the even-handed observations of the practices of this closed religious group, which has followers around the world.

Sara Dahl (Rosalinde Mynster) is seventeen years old and has been raised in a family of strict Jehovah's Witnesses. Sara follows the tenets of the faith and often joins her family to witness local people door to door in hopes of attracting new converts. Despite the Dahl family's devotion to their church, domestic matters are complicated when her father (Jens Jorn Spottag) is unfaithful to her mother (Sarah Boberg), and though contrite, she's unwilling to forgive him. In one of the more unsettling scenes in the movie, the 3 Dahl children vote to stay in the family home with the father, knowing this will lead to the mother leaving home as she wasn't prepared to forgive his transgressions. Sara, being the oldest child and a business college student, becomes the stand-in mother for her siblings, before meeting Teis (Pilou Asbaek), a boy she is immediately attracted too, at a dance club. Adding an extra layer of intriguing complexity to the story (without spoiling), is that we soon find out the eldest Dahl sibling, a son Jonas, has been expelled from his local church and then family, for "reading the wrong materials", questioning the Elders decisions and not repenting for these actions.

Worlds Apart is a well-directed, well-acted movie, illuminating the conventions of a religious group, that whilst being well-known, is frequently regarded by many in mainstream society, as one supporting character observes, as a "sect", As such it is frequently charged with indoctrination and manipulation of its adherents, by the powerful and influential Elders of the church branches. Ultimately Sara does make a contentious decision (as the real life person did), but we are reminded through the playing out of the narrative, that this may well mean she will have to contend with life-changing factors affecting her social and familiaral networks. It is a challenging, provocative, yet entertaining film that is recommended for those drawn to discussions of fundamentalist thinking and ideals.

I will not judge this movie on anything else but artistic values... and the thoughts about the reasons why someone would make this are left behind.

All I can say is that this was beautifully crafted coming of age film about Sara and her family. Sara is a part of the Jehovah's Witnesses local group and she lives a normal life until few events start changing the steady faith into a whirlwind of doubts!

The screenplay was very realistic and engaging, and I loved the subtle touches of the director who knew how to go deeper without disturbing the feelings, except the last part, where the faith of the group was more judged than allowed to be expressed.

Acting was superb, and the young Rosalinde Mynster showed us the real talent in action - it could not be better! My deductions in score were made for the attitude of the film ... which, I guess, is to judge the "odd ones" and try to make them feel awkward! But, still, an excellent art work was created in that process, and I am acknowledging that writing this review.

A rather well-documented drama, presenting the closed society of the Jehovah's Witnesses.

It shows that "something" that they don't tell you when they knock on your door, but this is not a hateful film. The main character, a young girl, is trapped between the love for her unbeliever boyfriend and the love for her JW-family. In the Jehovah's witnesses world, these two are mutually-exclusive.

The only reason I'm giving this picture just 9 stars is because 10 are for the titans of the genre, like "Schindler's list" or "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". But these 9 stars are well deserved in my opinion.

I stumbled upon this movie by chance on the Sundance Channel and was sorely disappointed. The premise of this story is to present the moral conflict of pursuing the desires of one's heart at the cost of losing/walking away from everything a person has always known. The actors in my opinion don't fail here it's more so the script and the fact that the complexity of this story is completely undermined by missing elements that are integral to a story like this. The story is centered around the Christian faith of Jehovah's witnesses but never is the bible actually opened in this movie and utilized as a reference point for the beliefs that witnesses uphold, which is universally known as how they defend their faith & all their actions. As others have said I don't feel like witnesses were demonized but at the same time they are characterized as zealots of some sort who live by arcane ideas and principles. In real life the issue with Sara pursuing a relationship like the one portrayed in the film would be that of engaging in a relationship with a person who doesn't share/cherish the same biblical/moral values of a professed Christian. (this basic conflict becomes evident when Sara boyfriend tries to be sexual before they are married – If I'm driving to NYC and you're driving to LA, why would I ride in a car with you, we are going in two different directions, it therefore would be of no benefit to ride with you, the same is true with choosing life partners who are going in different directions it makes no sense) An honest way to have told this story would have been to allow the bible principles that Sara was taught to be scripturally explained; only then could one possibly grasp the difficulty of grappling with what your heart selfishly wants versus holding onto everything you know to be true. The absence of a logical explanation of the practicality of bible principles over simplifies this movie down to a thing of I don't want do what other people tell me to do anymore thing versus I know what is right, I have a relationship with God and feel truly torn/confused. The movie is a complete failure and a disservice to the notion of sentimental dramas and the faith of Jehovah's Witnesses. Witnesses aren't mindless sheep. If questioned every thing they believe can be explained scripturally, and as far as their outlook of the future they can explain that too contextually and prophetically. Maybe it's easier for people to just write them off as mindless losers – I don't know. At the end of the day whether one agrees with the bible message they bring that's a matter of choice. Sara/Tabita must really be bitter that she allowed the story to be developed in such a one sided manner that cushions sympathy in the direction of her choice.

I read about this movie and thought it seemed interesting, but it still far exceeded my expectations. Inspired by a true story, "Worlds Apart" is a superior drama that delves into one of the world's most intriguing religious groups and the universal theme of divided loyalty.

17-year old Sara Dahl (Rosalinde Mynster) is a beautiful but somewhat introverted student who lives in a small Danish town with her parents, Andreas (Jens Jørn Spottag) and Karen (Sarah Boberg), and her younger siblings, Elisabeth (Sarah Juel Werner) and August (Jacob Ottensten). All are active Jehovah's Witnesses. Early on, Andreas confesses that he has committed adultery. Karen decides to divorce him, but because he is repentant, the children oppose the divorce and decide that Karen should be the one to move out, which she is.

Shortly afterward, Sara and her friend Thea (Catrine Beck) attend a party in which Sara meets a 23-year old musician named Teis (Johan Philip Asbæk). She falls for him, but becomes very drunk. Teis walks her home and the two stay in touch.

They soon get together again and while walking through a mall, Sara is approached by a young man revealed to be her older brother, Jonas (Thomas Knuth-Winterfeldt). The two have a brief and curiously awkward conversation. After Jonas leaves, Sara explains that Jonas was expelled from the JW organization because of reading an improper book and therefore is to be shunned by his family. Sara adds that she only spoke to Jonas because Teis was there. Teis, who is non-religious, quickly becomes hostile toward Sara about the JW belief that only JWs are saved.

Teis finds Sara at school shortly afterward and apologizes for criticizing her faith. The two steadily grow closer and one night at a café, Sara loses track of time and misses her train. She spends the night at Teis' apartment where the two sleep in the same bed and kiss but don't have sex or even undress.

Still, Andreas is very upset and takes her to see the church elders, all of whom are middle aged men. Seemingly led by a man named John (Anders W. Berthelsen), she is questioned about Teis, including whether he touched her breasts or not. The movie doesn't show that act, but Sara says that it happened. The elders do accept her claim that the two didn't have sex and allow her to remain in the organization, but order her to end her relationship with Teis through a letter.

She does so but feels bad about it, especially after learning that Teis has called her several times since receiving the letter but that her family hasn't told her. She asks Andreas for permission to talk to Teis in person. Andreas reluctantly agrees and shortly after Sara visits Teis, he surprises everyone by attending a service at Sara's church. Andreas and John are suspicious and John offers to refer Teis to another JW church. But Teis insists that he wants to hear about God the same way that Sara does. John reluctantly accepts that and gives Sara permission to see Teis provided the two don't have sex.

Teis' faith initially appears to be sincere and Sara's grows as well. She quits school (seemingly some kind of post-high school institution) to become a pioneer (door-to-door missionary). But right after a large JW convention, Teis and Sara have sex for the first time. From there, Sara's faith steadily fades.

Sara says that she's moving in with Karen but actually moves in with Teis. Karen covers for Sara and also secretly sees Jonas. Teis introduces Sara to his non-religious parents, Vagn (Hans Henrik Voetmann) and Jette (Charlotte Fich). Vagn treats Sara cordially but Jette spews out a long list of anti-JW comments. Sara and Teis leave and Teis seems embarrassed by his mother's behavior but reveals to Sara that he's concluded that he doesn't believe in God after all.

Eventually, Sara's façade falls apart. Elisabeth, while visiting Karen, notices that no clothes are in Sara's supposed closets. That leads to Sara being given an ultimatum from the elders – leave Teis or be expelled.

I won't reveal her decision but I will say that my only significant criticism of the movie is that a character dies because of refusing a blood transfusion. That strikes me as a forced attempt to emphasize one of the most distinctive parts of JW doctrine. However, that character's funeral is very powerfully used to set up a hard hitting climax.

This is one of my three favorite foreign movies, along with "Noi" ("Nói albínói") from Iceland and "Kissed by Winter" ("Vinterkyss") from Norway – what is it about the Nordics?! The performances in "Worlds Apart" are outstanding, the screenplay is very compelling, and there's plenty of great scenery for anyone who appreciates small town Denmark, as I do.

JWs are widely ridiculed and dismissed as being brainwashed. But despite coming from one of the most secular countries in the world, this movie is surprisingly balanced in its portrayal of JWs. While their beliefs and tactics are brought into question, the movie portrays JWs as, above all, human beings. None are demonized and all are portrayed as well intentioned and in some cases compassionate, even if misguided. And they even evoke sympathy because of the torment that stems from their dilemma between loving someone – whether romantically or familially – and the fear of going against the teachings of the church and maybe even losing their salvation.

I've read dozens of message board postings related to this movie and almost all posters who identify themselves as former JWs describe the movie as very realistic and emotional. And even most with no ties to the JW church can relate to the aforementioned universal theme of divided loyalty.

Unrated by the MPAA but very PG-13 level, this is one of those rare movies that I strongly recommend to everyone.

A true story of the painful experience suffered by a good girl wanting to do right by her family whilst it dawns on her that the religious sect she was born into places a doomsday belief above simple humanity.

She and her family are subjected to sentencing by a cabal of men who are called 'elders' whenever they stray from the path of Jehovah. Wrong doers who smoke, fornicate or receive blood transfusions risk being expelled from the chosen few who believe a happy life will be theirs after Armageddon.

The strong irony of adulterous men being forgiven is in stark contrast to the wrath shown towards a teenage girl who loves her family deeply and wants to please them, yet is exposed to the normal temptations of an adolescent.

We need more films such as this in a world where increasing religious fanaticism and evangelism are threatening the intelligent evolution of man and women kind.

The girl on whom the film is based gives her stamp of approval by making a very brief appearance.

The saddest thing of all is the excruciating loneliness suffered by those who are expelled from a tightly enclosed religious sect and treated as though they are dead. What a compassionate bunch of nitwits!

Inaccurate and she should have known better. It isn't easy to be a JW but the reward at the end is great. If you're going to make a movie, please get your facts straight and not mislead people. It's things like these that generate misconceptions about the JWs. I'm sure that SnooktheCrook would agree and as well as others out there who see this movie as damaging toward the JWs. Hopefully another movie like this will not be made anytime soon. If she wants to leave, go ahead and see how it will go for her. She'll leave, but still believe in God and it is He who will judge her for her actions. .................................................10 lines :D

Love these Danish films...such emotion, tackling religion this time. Unfortunately, religion can ask too much from us mere mortals. The fact that the movie was based on a true story, made it more relatable...not with the Jehovahs only, but with any paternalistic religion. Enough said...

Don't be fooled into thinking this is not what happens to witness families. Shunning is sadly a very real experience for thousands of people and there are many who cannot cope with it and take their lives. This film does a good job of showing the impact of childhood indoctrination. They absolutely believe that 99.9% of the earth's population will be slaughtered at Armageddon and forego higher education for low paying jobs in order to spend time preaching door to door because they believe the end is near. The 'end' has been foretold numerous times since the late 1800s, but unfortunately most witnesses do not have access to their own history and are warned off researching external sources. I am glad to say though, that the defection rate of young people brought up in the cult is high and the internet has been a great help in their escape. It is just a shame the price they have to pay is so high.

I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law." (Saint Matthews ,10-35)

These are words by Christ who hinted at an upheaval in the society in which you had to "honor thy father and thy mother", in which slavery was a fait accompli ; loyalty to Christ might lead to severance from the milieu where you were nurtured .But Christ's tenet was not only that: the New Testament and the hard Old one are "worlds apart" ( that's the English title of the movie)

In this excellent movie,the petulant Jehovah brings this about : it's not a problem of Danemark ,I'm not Danish ,and I've heard several times the "pioneers" knock on my door to bring me "the good news" .

Jehovah is,in these people 's mind , demanding but rewarding and you've got to sacrifice everything ,even your own life (the friend's awful fate after her accident is considered a blessing ,because her abnegation opened up the pearly gates for her ) and your family :the one depicted in " to verdener" is split into two "camps" and even three if you count the son , who first left and who became excommunicated ,a pariah to his own family ; the mother is adamant ,ruthless ,and forgiveness is a word she does not know .

It's too bad the boyfriend's parents characters are not more developped : they are atheist ,well-balanced and happy and they do tell their son's squeeze is part of a sect ;on the other hand ,it's a good idea to introduce the boy -who just pretends - in their congregation .

Based on a true story , it's an important movie, because it shows what lies beneath those would be "good news" .

So I saw this movie past the best of my own judgement. Their wasn't anything graphically or verbally bad which I was expecting since its rating. But I have to say my jaw expressively saying is "dropped to the ground". Why doesn't anyone really do information background checks anymore. First of all I am a Jehovahs Witness, and yes I know many people that had gotten themselves in a similar situation. But what bothered me of this movie was its overall portrayal of my faith. I don't want people to think Im a sect. And guess what I am EDUCATED. Isn't that a twister. I have mine in arts, but enough about that. Why doesn't anyone ask Jehovahs Witnesses what they do. Yes, we don't have a goal of materialism. But we do need to support ourselves "HELLO!!!" To be honest all my friends have degrees! whether its in Arts, Teaching or Medical. We have them all in fact I was going for a degree in RN too. So maybe in Denmark they don't research too much because I am a full time Pioneer and I own my own Business! My faith didn't stir me to be apprehensive in accomplishing that. Like the girl sadly displayed! I'm offended...BIG TIME.

First of all i am a jehovah's witnesses, and very proud of it, second this movie protrays jw's in a very negative light its making the outsiders think like we are cruel and evil people this is the reason why us jw's dont want to see things like this and this story is coming from an ex jw who is still bitter till this day it will be a matter of time before an ex jw will like the movie, even if its not accurate!!

First, I don't know much about Danish films so I don't recognize the actors and actresses who do a first rate job in performing their roles. The film is about Sara Dahl, a Danish 17 year old Jehovah's Witness. The film begins with the baptism of her and her best friend, Thea. Sara is more dedicated and devout than Thea at times. When Sara meets Teis at a club, their relationship begins slowly to evolve more than a friendship. It's actually realistic that they don't move fast. Jehovah's Witnesses especially the single girls like Sara and Thea don't date at all and especially outside the sect. Teis takes an interest in the religion. When things don't go as planned, Sara makes difficult choices that can ruin her family. This film is based on Tabitha's Story which is probably true. While Sara is played beautifully by the actress as a sympathetic, complicated, young woman who must make serious decisions even without the back up of her family. This film is worth watching even with subtitles.

Much of my family and friends are JW's and have no interest in seeing this film.Knowing their belief's I really understand their lack of interest in a film maybe about JW's made by non-JW's,it's a no brainer,stay away from it.The reviews only enforce the thought of avoidance.Good acting is good acting but using a movie drama for education on a religion doesn't make sense.In one of the Ben-Hur movies they try to pass it off as a Bible experience even though the Bible makes NO mention of a person named Ben-Hur.The makers of this film may of have thought the movies errors had less chance of upsetting JW's than another religion.Enjoy the acting but why formulate a religious opinion from a movie made by a non-member of that religion.

The best friend I ever had was a jehovas witness, I lost him where him being a jehovas witness was a part of the reason. My mother grew up as a jehowas witness, with her father being a tyrant and power hungry person with very little love to share.

I have never myself directly been involved with this "faith". But after watching and reading a lot on the internet, and watching this movie that should be a true story and what resembles the stories I've read and heard about, I think it is a very important movie to watch and think about.

Not only for people who are jehovas witnesses, but for anyone who have any beliefs. Putting things in perspective, I myself get these questions. "How can you put your faith/love in something you never seen or only have been told about, above REAL human beings/family".

To that I will never understand, and will as the main character, think it is more egoistic to deny your family, then your own beliefs.

To get into a more movie perspective, the movie was by no means perfect. It's filmotography was the worst part of the movie, real dull and not very movielike. But maybe it was intentional to make it feel more "real"?

Anyways if the message of the movie was not as important or near and dear to me, I would rate it a 7, but because of personal importance I dedicate it a 9.

I hope you liked my short and perhaps not super informative review. I already wrote too much to go any deeper within the movie.

All the best.

Waist of time. I never saw a movie so bad. I am mad that this gets a 7.0 rating

A beautiful coming of age film about a young Jehovah witness girl named Sarah. Sara meets a young man Ties and they have feelings for each other though he isn't a Jehovah. The actors are very good and truly believable . I won't say much more and spoil it . Enjoy this sweet tender drama of young over