Apostasy | Trailer | Siobhan Finneran | Robert Emms

Available On Demand June 5, 2018
Directed by: Dan Kokotajlo

Synopsis: A faithful Jehovah's Witness is forced to shun her own sister because of a religious transgression. As the separation draws out, she starts to question the meaning of God's love.

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Coming Soon: All Summers End; Billy Boy; Half the Picture

[torilaen]

As an ex-jw, I am SO GLAD this movie exists. I just hope more people find it. So triggering just watching the trailer. Spot on.

[Katherine-lxni]

This made me cry. I'm 57 years old. I was disfellowshipped at 16. I barely survived. It makes my heart ache to see this young child being treated this way...just like me. It triggers ptsd in every one of us that the organization has damaged. If You still believe in God, he says they will be held accountable.

[Savigion]

WOW!!! JUST WOW!!! CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THIS! It's about time somebody brings out the truth about this ruthless, heartless organization!

[kristyannwebster]

I can’t wait to see this, but I know it will also be very hard and emotional to watch. I’m so glad that someone is finally addressing this terribly damaging experience.

[notesfromthemancave]

Holy shit I'm an adult male in my 50s. I left the cult 20 years ago. I have 4 college degrees now. And this trailer brought real tears to my eyes. Very real.

[texasbluesjazz]

I was raised in a devout JW family, but I decided I did not want to get baptized; however, I used to sincerely believe it was the truth. I simply saw too much hypocrisy and double standards. It wasn't so much that I was shunned by my JW family and friends, at least at first. They simply were not the kind of people I enjoyed being around. JWs are very judgmental, especially of one another. While this movie depicts a young woman who is ostracized and shunned for violating the Bible's moral standards, the truth is that one can be disfellowshiped simply for pointing out Watchtower teachings and practices which conflict with the Bible.

My siblings and I were carefully taught that it was our God-given duty to expose religious error and hypocrisy wherever we found it. In fact, our eternal life depended on doing so. At age 13, I was knocking on my neighbors' doors, telling them that God would soon destroy all false religion and that if they did not become a JW, they would be destroyed, too. But, when exemplary JWs pointed out errors in Watchtower dogma, they were branded as mentally-diseased apostates and completely cut off from their JW family and friends.

It's been said that "when you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change." And so it was with my view of JWs. Long ago, I began to question my father and brothers--all of whom were respected elders--about teachings for which I could find no Biblical basis. All they would ever tell me was to wait upon Jehovah to straighten out matters. It seemed to me that the Bible had already answered the questions I raised, but the Watchtower simply taught differently from the Bible. In recent years, contact with my JW family became less and less, and I am now completely shunned by them. I have many friends who have left the Watchtower religion for various reasons, and the bond I have with those ex-JWs is stronger than the bond I ever felt with my JW family.

I'm not interested in changing the minds of anyone who sincerely believes that the JW Governing Body is the so-called "faithful and discreet slave" of Matthew 24:45. But, the written record of the Watchtower Society does not support such belief. Still, to each his own. It appears that members are leaving the Watchtower in droves. As far as I am concerned, that is a good thing. Still, any organization which does not report to the proper authorities pedophiles who confess to sexually abusing children, thereby enabling such persons to re-offend is an evil religion.

[naterobinson]

I say BRAVO BRAVO, I saw the movie and I'm very impressed with it. It doesn't bash the faith it doesn't give a dogmatic portrayal. It is very honest and accurate in every detail. If you haven't been a JW or a closely associated with them this is a good movie to watch to get to know what it is like. If you have been a JW or was raised up in it like I was it's a very authentic take. Prepare yourself to watch this, get through your emotions then get through the process of healing.

[cyclonic]

As a 25 year (now ex) jw, this trailer is spot on to jw life.

[brocksoper]

As an ex mormon, this hits close to home too.

[antoniomadaleno]

I just saw the movie and it's a fist in the stomach. It was as if I went back in time and experienced again the feelings and thoughts within the circular thought of the sect.

It is really well done and perfectly shows the reality lived within that religious system. It shows very well how things being presented the way they are and within the logic of the group, can lead people to do things they would not normally do.

The subject of blood and disfellowshipping is explored very well, showing how these issues stir up the emotions of Witnesses, even if they follow the rules of the organization.

[menofthewestpodcast]

This organization needs to be held accountable for all the pain they have caused families.

[alexpeace]

After 17 years in, we, the whole family, disassociated after having discovered the true history of this organization and, yes, all the members of the congregation, including our close relatives, have shunned us since. My mother, a non-JW, who had many times entertained my visiting brothers and sisters, passed away a year after we disassociated but no JW came to express condolences. They meet me every day on the street but do not say that they are sorry about my mother. This is a cruel organization brainwashing its members into shunning their children and parents - this has nothing to do with the unconditional love that Lord Jesus taught.

[melissapapile-beban]

Brought to tears just watching the trailer. Very accurate!

[mrfreeze]

I went through something very similar to this. It was humiliating. I questioned everything they did or told me, on top of that my father was an elder. My friends dads were elders. On one Thursday night meeting 4 of us were disfellowshipped. We haven't looked back since. Its been tough, always going against what we were taught. But in the end, they were wrong.

[cristaolegendario]

I'm a ex-JW. This movie is totally true. This cult is hell on earth.

[TarquinMelnyk]

Oh, I’ll be seeing this one. So happy for more people to see and understand how damaging this cult is.

[MrAGBrito]

I had the privilege of interviewing Raymond Franz (former member of the Governing Body of JW's) in his home, in Winston, GA., some years ago. He also autographed my two copies of his books "Crisis of Conscience" and "In Search of Christian Freedom". He has passed away but the interview I had with him was published in a Brazilian Evangelical journal (I am originally from Brazil, but now I live in Hawaii, USA).

This policy of ostracism has led a few to such terrible depression that even suicides have been reported as a result of such cruel policy of this religious organization (to add to the many who died due to their prohibition of accepting blood in a transfusion, a theory they advocate fiercely, despite total lack of Biblical basis for that incredible idea, not accepted by the Jews who know very well what their law regarding not consuming blood as food really means).

[matilda]

So glad this movie exists, to expose the truth about Watchtower disturbing practices.

[TimH-pudd]

I was never a JW, but speaking as one who appreciates exceptional filmmaking, this movie is superb. The writing, direction and performances are beautifully understated. The movie makes no attempt to vilify the JWs, but you can be sure that cult easily vilifies itself.

[patrickowens]

Very interesting to see the spotlight on the JWs. It looks to be an accurate portrayal.