I just watched the Danish film "Worlds Apart" last night. It's the story of a JW girl who falls in love with a "worldly" boy and all of the problems in her life. And if anybody wants to see it, it's on the Independent Film Channel on-demand. It was a $6 rental on Time Warner.
Overall, I thought it gave a pretty accurate portrayal of JWs. There were some things that may have been off due to translation to a wider audience. For instance, they referred to being "expelled", not "disfellowshipped". And those were subtitles, so the original Danish might be true to whatever word they use in Denmark.
But there were some things that I noticed that just didn't seem right. Now I know that despite the supposed "Unity", things are handled differently from region to region, from country to country. So I saw a few things that caught my eye. Some of which I think were done intentionally so as to not confuse the audience. Others may just be the way things work in what I'm assuming is Denmark.
1) The lead JW, apparently the PO, wore a very short beard (almost Don Johnson) - and longer hair too. I thought beards were frowned upon, especially for elders. To get so many other things right and then cast a guy with a beard seems out of place. He could have easily shaved or been replaced by a different actor as his part wasn't a major one. Maybe it's different in Denmark.
2) They showed what appeared to be an outdoor assembly in a field. I think some were in chairs, some on the grass. I couldn't imagine that being done here in the US. And assemblies are planned months in advance. What if the weekend comes and it's raining or otherwise unseasonable?
3) In one shot, the main character, Sara, is apparently shown out in field service after she has decided to pioneer. She's wearing tight jeans. At least here in the States when I was a JW, women couldn't even wear a pants suit if it was 50 below zero. Dresses only.
4) It almost seems to portray this PO as a kind of full-time priest or reverend. Like he's the head guy in charge and not the way a JW sees a PO. They had other elders involved in a judicial committee and for meetings, but it was always like this guy was the master of ceremonies. He'd always be at the podium before and/or after somebody else came up to speak.
5) In one scene, I didn't notice who it was, but the JWs were filing out of the Hall while somebody was standing inside, thanking them for coming. Again, as if they're a priest or pastor saying bye to everyone leaving their church.
6) SPOILER, SPOILER, SPOILER - After Sara is disfellowshipped, her father is made an elder again - as part of the same announcements. And, Sara has an older brother who was "expelled" for reading the wrong book and disagreeing with the elders, so an apostate. I think this would be highly unlikely. I found and read a notebook of my dad's that had meeting minutes for the elder's quarterly meetings. Two disfellowshipped kids and seperated from his wife is the sort of thing they'd hold you back from being an elder for. At least for a while. You wouldn't get promoted at the same meeting when your daughter gets DFed.
7) In the beginning of the movie, the father apparently was an elder. He admits to his family he's done something bad (apparently an affair). His wife won't forgive him and moves out. They have a scene announcing to the congregation he has stepped down as an elder. I'm not sure whether he chose this or was forced to. In any event, it seems unlikely he wouldn't have been disfellowshipped. Although the good ol boy network and different rules for elders certainly could be at play. Or maybe he resigned without confessing.
8) There is a funeral at the hall. The casket is present. My father recently died and I remember being told they couldn't have the casket in the hall (not that I wanted it there anyway). I don't know if this is a JW thing. Or if maybe it's local statutes that prohibit it.
Anybody else see it? I thought it was good. Of course I was focused more on the JW parts than the story. I don't know how it would play to a non-JW audience. My wife came in towards the end and stayed until the end and she's never been JW. So it held her attention.