Apostasy (2017)

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SamBee
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Apostasy (2017)

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I was recommended this by one of the ward members.

It's a British film about a family of Jehovah's Witnesses, a mother and her two daughters. It is a very realistic representation of the religion by a first time director who had been in it as a child.

The acting is refreshingly subdued and subtle, in contrast to the Jerry Springer type histrionics we see on screen so much now. It's also a bit slower paced than Hollywood... a good film if you put the time in. There are no big names in it, but hopefully the two younger lead actresses will go far.

As a LDS, it's interesting to spot the similarities and differences with our church. The elders are a bit like our bishoprics. Thankfully, we don't practice formal shunning like is seen in this film. Still some of hits a little close to home.

Trailer here:
https://youtu.be/r7TcFMkShpI

Available on Amazon, Netflix & (paid) Youtube
DASH1730 "An Area Authority...[was] asked...who...would go to the Telestial kingdom. His answer: "murderers, adulterers and a lot of surprised Mormons!"'
1ST PRES 1978 "[LDS] believe...there is truth in many religions and philosophies...good and great religious leaders... have raised the spiritual, moral, and ethical awareness of their people. When we speak of The [LDS] as the only true church...it is...authorized to administer the ordinances...by Jesus Christ... we do not mean... it is the only teacher of truth."
Stephies
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Joined: 16 Feb 2018, 03:58

Re: Apostasy (2017)

Post by Stephies »

The trailer alone gives me goosebumps. Very much looking forward to watching that. Thanks for the tip!

A movie that also covers the same topic (sort of) is "Kreuzweg" ("Stations of the Cross"). It's one of my favorites. Not sure how similar it is to Apostasy, or how relatable it is to LDS, though. Was quite a while ago that I watched it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeHiT4e4LZ0
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3465916/
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SamBee
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Joined: 14 Mar 2010, 04:55

Re: Apostasy (2017)

Post by SamBee »

Stephies wrote: 08 Aug 2018, 05:30 The trailer alone gives me goosebumps. Very much looking forward to watching that. Thanks for the tip!

A movie that also covers the same topic (sort of) is "Kreuzweg" ("Stations of the Cross"). It's one of my favorites. Not sure how similar it is to Apostasy, or how relatable it is to LDS, though. Was quite a while ago that I watched it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeHiT4e4LZ0
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3465916/
Thanks for the tip - I watched the trailer. I can understand a bit of German and I try and watch films in the language to keep it up. Catholicism makes for good cinema, partly because it is very visual so it allows for a lot of range.

The thing I really liked in Apostasy was the realism. It looks and feels real, and people who have been JWs talk about how close it is to the reality. It's written and directed by someone who grew up in the JWs and they even got a disused Kingdom Hall to film it in. Like I say, the pace is a little slow but it is a human interest and the acting is superb... it's not a Hollywood film, more a window into a.part of life few of us know much about. JWs on screen tend to be from the outsiders' perspective and this one isn't. (The LDS seem to have fared better onscreen IMHO.)

As LDS I can get some of it, because there are some similarities such as disciplinary councils, but in certain respects, the LDS is actually not as bad. We have an excommunicated sister who comes regularly to SM and although she has not.been rebaptized, no one cuts her out or treats her badly. I only found out her status by accident. I guess it depends what you get ex'd for. The gay thing is a difficult one.
DASH1730 "An Area Authority...[was] asked...who...would go to the Telestial kingdom. His answer: "murderers, adulterers and a lot of surprised Mormons!"'
1ST PRES 1978 "[LDS] believe...there is truth in many religions and philosophies...good and great religious leaders... have raised the spiritual, moral, and ethical awareness of their people. When we speak of The [LDS] as the only true church...it is...authorized to administer the ordinances...by Jesus Christ... we do not mean... it is the only teacher of truth."
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SamBee
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Joined: 14 Mar 2010, 04:55

Re: Apostasy (2017)

Post by SamBee »

SilentDawning wrote: 14 Feb 2019, 00:07 I just finished watching this movie on Amazon Prime this evening. It's the story about a Jehovah's Witness family -- mother, and two daughters. One of the daughters gets pregnant out of wedlock and is disfellowshiped. The other needs a blood transfusion but chooses not to have it for religious reasons and dies.

It really touched a nerve here. I saw many similarities, although less extreme, with the one-year penalty/waiting period and how it shut my parents out of the wedding experience. How we let religious institutions interefe too far into our lives. The daughter who is disfellowshipped meets with the local leadership, which looks surprisingly like a Bishopric. The requirement that family drop all but business necessary contact with the disfellowshipped person seemed heartless in the face of a single, pregnant mother living on her own and needing support.

I also saw how humanity seemed to slip away in the face of organizational imperatives imposed on the mother. How conflicted she seemed toward the end, and then, almost fanatical. The movie ends on a startling note, although not violent.

The movie got high reviews -- from an artistic perspective, it has sparse dialogue and music, but it gives you powerful messages through the implied subtext. We very well written script.

It is a movie that will have you thinking deeply about our own religion.

https://www.amazon.com/Apostasy-Siobhan ... B07CSGJNSR
DASH1730 "An Area Authority...[was] asked...who...would go to the Telestial kingdom. His answer: "murderers, adulterers and a lot of surprised Mormons!"'
1ST PRES 1978 "[LDS] believe...there is truth in many religions and philosophies...good and great religious leaders... have raised the spiritual, moral, and ethical awareness of their people. When we speak of The [LDS] as the only true church...it is...authorized to administer the ordinances...by Jesus Christ... we do not mean... it is the only teacher of truth."
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SamBee
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Joined: 14 Mar 2010, 04:55

Re: Apostasy (2017)

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I have seen this film two or three times. I feel the inclusion of the anemic character, while moving, was a bit too "cliché". Blood transfusion is a well known bugbear of JWs, and I think I would have liked to see other aspects dealt with. They do at least deal with college - perhaps military or political involvement could have been brought up perhaps.

I find the JWs like looking at the LDS in one of those distorting mirrors. I'm aware of all the similarities and differences. The LDS for all its faults, is much milder, but in terms of its doctrines, is much wilder.

I don't think we deal with teenage pregnancy well, but we *are* a different breed. Case in point, one of the ward members brought her baby son along with her and people were happy to talk to her and meet him. She since had him adopted, by her older sister, which I think is a good compromise. Nobody went out of their way to ignore her or shun her.

In production senses, it is deceptively simple. The film crew actually got hold of an old Kingdom Hall to use for filming, which is a bit of a coup.
DASH1730 "An Area Authority...[was] asked...who...would go to the Telestial kingdom. His answer: "murderers, adulterers and a lot of surprised Mormons!"'
1ST PRES 1978 "[LDS] believe...there is truth in many religions and philosophies...good and great religious leaders... have raised the spiritual, moral, and ethical awareness of their people. When we speak of The [LDS] as the only true church...it is...authorized to administer the ordinances...by Jesus Christ... we do not mean... it is the only teacher of truth."
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