To verdener

I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law." (Saint Matthews ,10-35)

These are words by Christ who hinted at an upheaval in the society in which you had to "honor thy father and thy mother", in which slavery was a fait accompli ; loyalty to Christ might lead to severance from the milieu where you were nurtured .But Christ's tenet was not only that: the New Testament and the hard Old one are "worlds apart" ( that's the English title of the movie)

In this excellent movie,the petulant Jehovah brings this about : it's not a problem of Danemark ,I'm not Danish ,and I've heard several times the "pioneers" knock on my door to bring me "the good news" .

Jehovah is,in these people 's mind , demanding but rewarding and you've got to sacrifice everything ,even your own life (the friend's awful fate after her accident is considered a blessing ,because her abnegation opened up the pearly gates for her ) and your family :the one depicted in " to verdener" is split into two "camps" and even three if you count the son , who first left and who became excommunicated ,a pariah to his own family ; the mother is adamant ,ruthless ,and forgiveness is a word she does not know .

It's too bad the boyfriend's parents characters are not more developped : they are atheist ,well-balanced and happy and they do tell their son's squeeze is part of a sect ;on the other hand ,it's a good idea to introduce the boy -who just pretends - in their congregation .

Based on a true story , it's an important movie, because it shows what lies beneath those would be "good news" .

For those interested in the social and cultural influences of certain religions in modern society, Worlds Apart offers an interesting, realistic perspective of a Jehovah's Witness girl trying to reconcile her faith, whilst involving herself in a relationship with a "non-believer" older boy.

It's quite a simple storyline presented by co-writer/director Niels Arden Oplev and clearly based on a true Danish story, but enhanced by the even-handed observations of the practices of this closed religious group, which has followers around the world.

Sara Dahl (Rosalinde Mynster) is seventeen years old and has been raised in a family of strict Jehovah's Witnesses. Sara follows the tenets of the faith and often joins her family to witness local people door to door in hopes of attracting new converts. Despite the Dahl family's devotion to their church, domestic matters are complicated when her father (Jens Jorn Spottag) is unfaithful to her mother (Sarah Boberg), and though contrite, she's unwilling to forgive him. In one of the more unsettling scenes in the movie, the 3 Dahl children vote to stay in the family home with the father, knowing this will lead to the mother leaving home as she wasn't prepared to forgive his transgressions. Sara, being the oldest child and a business college student, becomes the stand-in mother for her siblings, before meeting Teis (Pilou Asbaek), a boy she is immediately attracted too, at a dance club. Adding an extra layer of intriguing complexity to the story (without spoiling), is that we soon find out the eldest Dahl sibling, a son Jonas, has been expelled from his local church and then family, for "reading the wrong materials", questioning the Elders decisions and not repenting for these actions.

Worlds Apart is a well-directed, well-acted movie, illuminating the conventions of a religious group, that whilst being well-known, is frequently regarded by many in mainstream society, as one supporting character observes, as a "sect", As such it is frequently charged with indoctrination and manipulation of its adherents, by the powerful and influential Elders of the church branches. Ultimately Sara does make a contentious decision (as the real life person did), but we are reminded through the playing out of the narrative, that this may well mean she will have to contend with life-changing factors affecting her social and familiaral networks. It is a challenging, provocative, yet entertaining film that is recommended for those drawn to discussions of fundamentalist thinking and ideals.

I will not judge this movie on anything else but artistic values... and the thoughts about the reasons why someone would make this are left behind.

All I can say is that this was beautifully crafted coming of age film about Sara and her family. Sara is a part of the Jehovah's Witnesses local group and she lives a normal life until few events start changing the steady faith into a whirlwind of doubts!

The screenplay was very realistic and engaging, and I loved the subtle touches of the director who knew how to go deeper without disturbing the feelings, except the last part, where the faith of the group was more judged than allowed to be expressed.

Acting was superb, and the young Rosalinde Mynster showed us the real talent in action - it could not be better! My deductions in score were made for the attitude of the film ... which, I guess, is to judge the "odd ones" and try to make them feel awkward! But, still, an excellent art work was created in that process, and I am acknowledging that writing this review.

Much of my family and friends are JW's and have no interest in seeing this film.Knowing their belief's I really understand their lack of interest in a film maybe about JW's made by non-JW's,it's a no brainer,stay away from it.The reviews only enforce the thought of avoidance.Good acting is good acting but using a movie drama for education on a religion doesn't make sense.In one of the Ben-Hur movies they try to pass it off as a Bible experience even though the Bible makes NO mention of a person named Ben-Hur.The makers of this film may of have thought the movies errors had less chance of upsetting JW's than another religion.Enjoy the acting but why formulate a religious opinion from a movie made by a non-member of that religion.

Love these Danish films...such emotion, tackling religion this time. Unfortunately, religion can ask too much from us mere mortals. The fact that the movie was based on a true story, made it more relatable...not with the Jehovahs only, but with any paternalistic religion. Enough said...