***Note – this is a foreign movie with English subtitles.
Can you imagine being ousted from the only church you’ve ever known and shunned by your family? Can you imagine being left all alone in the world? What would you do if you were in this situation?
Seventeen-year-old Sara is a devout Jehovah’s Witness. When she goes to a party at a club, hosted by her J.W. friend, Thea, she meets Teis. Teis doesn’t believe in God and he finds Sara’s religion extremely confusing and unfair. Since she is not allowed to date Teis, she meets him secretly, lying to her father that she is out late with Thea doing homework.Teis is smitten with Sara, and he questions her beliefs.
In the midst of Sara’s romance, her parents go through their own trials. Her father has been unfaithful, and her parents are now separated. The children don’t understand why their mother won’t forgive their father for his sins since he’s repented and is sorry for what he’s done. Sara and her two siblings agree to stay with their dad because they feel he is the parent who is doing what is “right” – repenting. They feel their mother is “wrong” for not forgiving their father for his sin.
I didn’t really have a positive opinion about Sara’s JW friend, Thea. Thea initially encourages the romance between Teis and Sara, plus, Sara meets Teis at Thea’s party. Then, after encouragement from Thea, Sara secretly starts meeting Teis, then Thea goes to the elders with information about Sara’s romance. I felt as if Thea was setting Sara up for a big downfall – I think Thea wanted Sara to fail as a J.W.
This movie was based upon a true story. Since I was raised Jehovah’s Witness, I can say that the things portrayed in the movie were accurate in regards to the religion. I enjoyed the movie, and if someone wanted to know more about the JW faith, I’d recommend they watch this flick. However, like most foreign films, I wished for a better ending. Foreign movies don’t always end like American movies – meaning, a nice happy ending and all of your questions answered. I felt that Sara needed to find the truth, the real truth of Jesus Christ, having a close relationship with Him.
I watched this movie last night with my wife and I, that movie was pretty accurate in regards to teachings of Jehovah Witnesses ;except for one point I like to mention, the elder that I had seen in that movie was wearing a beard, the JW’s forbid all JW’s to wear beards in every country. I liked the movie, except the part where the young woman lost her faith and in God.
Stan
Stan, I’d forgotten all about the no-beard rule while watching this movie. Thanks for pointing that out.
For anyone else reading this blog post, far as I know, as Stan states, it’s forbidden for a JW to have a beard. I’ve heard that there are exceptions made if the JW has a skin condition which would make it difficult for him to shave.
I watched this movie the other night as well, and felt as though I was looking at my life, except for the end when she dumped the guy. I married the guy and we are still married now, 20 years later.
I too told my then boyfriend that we were unevenly yoked, which is what I think she meant by that, and either I move out or we get married. We chose the latter. I did go through the “I gave up everything for you” speech with him when he broke up with me twice during our first years together (I was VERY clingy, which at the time was attributed to Aspergers on top of being a former JW with NOTHING left, but at the time, we did not know I had it).
When we were married, we decided not to have a “his side of the family” and “her side of the family” seating arrangement because there was NO ONE from my side who attended. I was completely alone, other than some people from work who felt bad for me and showed up for that reason.
I have never resented him for my giving up everything to be with him, though. I think that is due to the reason we were together in the first place. I had gone to him and told him I needed his help to get me out of my family and religious situation, that I could not be there anymore, as it was beginning to be a problem for me at home, due to issues with my militant mother. He and I worked together at McDonalds. I was 23 years old at the time, but I had the mindset of a 16-year-old, very stunted.
I am now 45 years old, as of tomorrow, and I still have dreams that I am still stuck at home with my parents and still go to meetings, though the dreams are less frequent now.
I do NOT regret my decision, as I am free today to believe as I wish, however my parents did disown me when they found out I had joined a church and gotten baptized in it. That was almost 8 years ago. They both had left the Org. before that had happened, but were still stuck in that mindset that says churches are wrong.
Ashton, thanks for sharing that. You’ve been through a lot. So, I’m assuming that although both of your parents left the Org, they still think it’s “The Truth”? Reason I’m asking is because you’d said they’d disowned you when you joined a church, so, if they think the Org is wrong, and all churches are wrong, then, what’s right?
You may be correct. Sara, in the movie, may have been talking about being unevenly yoked when she’d said that staying with her boyfriend would be too uneven. It’s kinda hard to tell what she meant. Plus, when you’re dealing with subtitles, you’re at the mercy of the interpreter. Some words could have multiple meanings in English.
I went to the Kingdom Hall from zero to twelve years with my mom. I was banned from going by my Dad after that. Then, at eighteen, when I went away to college, I started studying with them again because I mistakenly thought it was “the truth.” I had lots of questions, and their mind-set about some scriptures, especially the prophecies, made me leery, which is one of many reasons why I stopped my Bible study. I studied with them for about a year as a adult.