Confessions of a Teenage Jesus Jerk

Jehovah's witness religion has always been on the periphery of my mind. After watching this film I learned alot about what it must be like to be trapped inside this cult. The family is it's own self contained unit, reinforcing and entrapping all members to the faith of JW. Anyone that challenges their ways is seen as an outsider and can be punished through humiliation.

I'm actually a huge fan of Eric Stoltz and this film. This story he crafted takes us on the journey of one adolescent man who tries to navigate modern life in a funny, satirical and dramatic way as a JW cult member.

As I watched it I thought this had to be written by someone who experienced growing up as a Jehovah Witness as the authenticity and the struggles were so accurately portrayed. I thoroughly enjoyed this film and felt the character development was tremendous - the main actor in particular was extraordinary.

I'm not a fan of Jehovah Witness after my wife was harrassed on the door step and had to call the police to get rid of them. I am also not particularly religious but I still enjoyed this film. Although this obviously has a great deal to do with the religion, at its heart it really is just a coming of age film.

The film follows Gabe and his friends as they try and be teenagers while following the strict religion that punishes them with not being allowed to interact with other Jehovah Witnesses. Of course being teenagers they break all the rules.

This is not a religious film. There is sex shown and mentioned but nothing explicit. Although there is a comical but explicit integration of a new adult recruit about accidental anal sex with his wife. I wouldn't watch it with your nan.

Overall I enjoyed this film. There are funny and sad parts. The film showed the harsh realities of being a Jehovah Witness but at the same time did not preach that people who choose this religion are bad or stupid people. The film has moments with older Jehovah Witnesses about why they joined the religion. Although it doesn't make it clear if these were genuine or actors.

The whole Jehovah Witness thing may put people off but they are missing out on a decent film. The film is basically a coming of age film just with the twist of being set with the turmoil of a religion that frowns upon all the urges and things you want to do as a teenager.

This film shows a smidge of how a Jehovah's Witness life is like in this religion. Totally on point about life inside the JW cult. To think this is just one person's story, but still, you get the picture painted nicely and get the idea of how screwed up things are inside this cult. The book Crisis of Conscience was in this movie and as a Jehovah's Witness, if you're caught reading it, it can be extremely devastating and brutal. I enjoyed everything in this film. The acting was brilliant! It also was beautifully shot and produced and defiantly keeps ones attention to the very end as the story intensely unfolds. Bravo!!! This is a must-see motion picture!!!

Growing up as a Jehovah's Witness myself, the film is very relatable, a good peek into what it's like as a teen in the religion. Very worth a watch even if you have never been involved with any JWs.