Apostasy (2017)

I'd like to say first, if you haven't watched the movie, I do think reading the spoilers would spoil it for you, so maybe pass on that review. So I came to this film after a long time researching what I would watch that night. When I found this title, I wasn't expecting much else than the "predictable route" movies about leaving a religion often chose to follow. Not something bad, but the typical story of movies about this subject, much like in the dystopian movies where the character is first exposed to the reason why this is a dystopia, then chooses to fight, then joins the revolution, etc, etc. Doesn't make the story bad, it just makes it predictable. But this movie went to places I just didn't imagine. The story isn't of a character who slowly comes to the realisation that something is wrong - then quits - then, freedom and consequences. No, no. We actually follow three main characters: a daughter, her sister, and their mother. We leave our first character when she dies after refusing blood transfusion, and then we slowly comes to the realisation that she's gone as we now follow her grieving mother. The character who decides to leave the cult, the older sister, isn't the only one which the story is about, and actually appeared to me almost as a secondary character here. What we follow is rather those who stay, those who can't get away from the cult. And through their experiences, and a very interesting direction, we get to experience this life, as if in a bubble. To me, someone who's never been involved with anything or anyone related to this cult, this felt as if being into another world. Being trapped. All of those grey lights, those curtains on the windows, those spaces which do not seem to belong in the same society I live in. And here we see lives we could see change, we could see leaving, because of the pain they experience. We see the doubt, the hesitation, the desire to leave. But those two, they do not. They stay in. They stay imprisoned, in a way. Well, this is what I felt. So the apostasy is, somewhat, secondary: it provokes the story, it moves the minds of those thow characters, but, eventually, it doesn't, and I think it's what it's also about. They aren't chained, there is no bars between them and the world, but they are trapped, it's as if they do not have any other choice. The images, the music, the acting, everything was great and I loved this movie despite not knowing about the Jehova's Witnesses very well. I think this movie brings questions about freedom that can be interesting to anyone.

This fictional drama didn't show much about apostasy, also lots of inacurate points, clearly directed by a disgruntled JW. However the mother played a great part and was directed well, take her out of the drama and it would of been too dull. One to miss for me.

JWs who watch or are aware of this need not be overly concerned about it. Its just a movie -- a story told based on the individual identity of the story teller. We can file this in the HUGE pile of stories told about Witnesses over the past 100 years or so. They are all virtually the same and you learn nothing new from them. That being said, there are many inaccuracies in this film. Witnesses are well-rounded people, don't steal babies, and have hobbies and live productive lives. In fact, people have worked with Witnesses for years and never knew it. That's because we are normal people, and in that context, fit right into the society around us. But why not be concerned? Little to these former members realize, but they are generating interests in Witnesses that we otherwise would not have gotten, whether the interest ends positively or negatively. God's name (Jehovah) is being made known, people are going to both our websites. They are looking to verify what they are watching. Our website is the number 1 religious website in the world, and is in the top 300 websites on the planet (out of hundreds of thousands of websites) This is not merely because 8.5 million people are visiting it. Other people are visiting because, while they think they are destroying interest, they are really generating it. We have faith that people can evaluate information on their own. They compare movies like this with what they KNOW about us. So we don't need to worry, nor does the organization have to "review" or acknowledge the movie. We've been doing well for 140+ years in the face of critical movies and media reports. History is merely repeating itself.

2 Thessalonians 2 verse 3 reads : "Let no one lead you astray in any way, because it will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness gets revealed, the son of destruction." Just a reminder to all that this verse applies to all evil apostates in a general sense not just the garbage that is apostasy film. Avoid apostasy film at all costs. The Bible prophesied Apostasy. The Bible says it had to come before the end. Apostasy has been in existence for many hundreds of years now, in fact since the death of the Apostles. These apostates have not got much time left and they and Satan are desperate. As pointed out at the conventions.. Be courageous. Apostates like the director of this film are weak and gutless, whilst Jehovah's Witnesses are courageous. Jehovah's Organisation is invincible and Jehovah's People are protected. Keep the Faith people. Apostasy film is cinematic sewerage. Apostasy film is based on lies, lies, lies & then even more satanic lies.