A review of the new independent film “Apostasy”
The title refers to the renunciation of a faith and in this case we are concerned with the Christian denomination of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. As adherents of The Truth, they do not accept blood transfusion, they do not associate with former members who have been disfellowshipped, and they believe that the destruction of the present world system at Armageddon is imminent leading to the New System here on earth. These themes are examined in this accomplished debut feature by writer and director Daniel Kokotajlo who is himself a former Witness.
An unusual feature of the story is that the three leading roles are female: Ivanna (played by Siobhan Finneran) and her daughters Luisa (Sacha Parkinson) and Chloe (Bronwyn James). The Elders are, of course, all men. Shot in Manchester (where I grew up), this is a grim and moving film, but it explains the motivation of the characters in non-judgemental terms, creating a terrible sense of inevitable tragedy.