cburgess-95885

"Life For Ruth" made back in 1972, was one of the first films to tackle the subject of Jehovah's Witnesses' belief that a transfusion of blood, even if it means that, without such a procedure, the patient would die, was against their religious beliefs. "Apostasy" is the newest film to tackle such a sensitive subject. What differentiates this film from the earlier version, is that in "Life For Ruth" much of the film is devoted to the tussle between the doctor who insists a blood transfusion is the only hope a child has to live, and the intransigency of the father, who refuses point blank to give his permission, while "Apostasy" doesn't labor the point, instead, the film portrays, in a matter-of-fact way, what life must be like for a mother with two daughters, who steadfastly follows the Church's teachings even if, the death of a daughter could have been prevented if a transfusion of blood is allowed to take place. One of the strongest scenes is when the mother leaves the hospital, a look of utter devastation on her face; we know what has occurred, without delving into the details. Even so, it's a decision the mother is prepared to live with, whatever the cost in her relationship with her other daughter: the Church's teachings are paramount. The aura of authenticity of "Apostasy" throughout this film is due in no part to the director, Daniel Kokotajlo, who was once a Jehovah's Witnesses himself. Anyone thinking f becoming a Jehovah's Witness, should see this film first.

Tim Burstall's film "End Play" has a running time of just eighty minutes. Watching it on DVD, this film seemed to last twice as long. It was slow, ponderous, and in no way did this film live up to the blurb on the back cover which stated, and I quote: "End Play" is a gripping, Hitchcockian-style thriller about a serial killer." end quote. Nothing could be further from the truth. "End Play" is far from being 'gripping' Nor I might add, was it 'thrilling' at least as most people understand the word. However, it is a film about a serial killer. The plot has more red herrings than a fish shop. The acting is either wooden (John Waters), or over the top (George Mallaby), depending on who was on screen. The dialogue was often ludicrous. The music was insignificant. And the ending was straight out of an episode of "Murder, She Wrote." All in all, "End Play" was the longest eighty-minute film I've ever watched.