Anti-JW movie on Netflix?

by Ray Frankz 9 Replies latest jw friends

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  Ray Frankz

  I'm watching the new Netflix movie "Come Sunday". It's one more film about a person who has turning point in life that demands the person to reevaluate his own faith and belief system. In this case, the man is a Petencostal Bishop that gets very famous and has a big church preaching about salvation to heaven and punishment in hell. At one point he realizes the hell doctrine isn't right and start teaching the Universal Salvation. As expected, he faces prosecution, loses friends, etc.

  I was wondering, is it possible one day we see a big $ production based maybe on CoC of Ray Franz? The story is much much better than the one in this netflix movie, and since CoC is a long time published book, the Org wouldn't be able to shut the production. Imagine how many JWs have Netflix accounts, the temptation to sneak in the APOSTATE movie? Of course the Org would make all the threatens (disguised as advices) but c'mmon, IT WOULD BE A EX GOVERNING BODY (actually I believe no more than 10% of the JWs know there were ever a GB member that ended up disfellowshipped). Or if they made it a series, with the Ray Franz plot as the center, but with episodes focused maybe in Penton, or Carl Olof Johnson. It would be an apostate Hit.

  I really think that, even tough information is free today, that would be a punch the Org wouldn't recover.

  PS: I've pictured a movie based on CoC many times, I'd die for hearing the song FREEDOM by Anthony Hamilton (from Django) as the main theme. The lyrics also move me a lot, as I'm a PIMO.
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  EverApostate

  JWs refuse to watch any Cult related movies/Documentaries, as their own cult paranoia kicks in and makes them run.

  Even if they watch, they would view it as one among the false religions.
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  Alex Bogdanov

  If such a movie will come out I think they will publish on jw website and in magazines and make elders make an announcement that if members will watch this movie they will be disfellowshiped. My book was published a month ago where one of the characters is an ex jw. The local congregations went crazy. ( I am not disfellowshiped, but they consider me super bad). So how I understand local brothers and sisters started to tell each other and neighbouring congregations how horrible is my book when none of them read it. And even advised to close FB and IG accounts as my book is being advertised there😂. So, my book is fiction and is not for JWS, but they behave as I made this book on purpose to troll them. Can you imagine how they will react if there will be a non fiction movie aimed against them? They will burn their telly or definitely cancel netflix subscription😂
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  truth_b_known

  Sounds like a crowdfunded movie is in order. Obviously most Witnesses won't watch it. I think the target audience should be non-Witnesses.

  I think another project should be an educational brochure for law enforcement on what they should know and expect when investigating allegations of child abuse when the victim and abuser are Witnesses.
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  scratchme1010

  ...is it possible one day we see a big $ production based maybe on CoC of Ray Franz?

  Maybe, but I don't think that it's by merit of the relevant of the WT. Depends on the company who buys the story. It's about business, not relevance.
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  Whynot

  I have thought about this. It would be great. Some witnesses may see it out of curiosity. It would be great.
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  smiddy3

  I think we may be surprised as to how many would watch such a movie or series .The younger generation of J.W.`s are not as indoctrinated as many think .

  From my experience and talking to my sons many ,and I mean many of the young, live double lives , pleasing their families putting in appearances at meetings even doing token field service etc, however not fully committed .

  They watch movies whether they be R or X rated without their parents knowledge ,go to disco`s and night clubs without their parents knowledge and get pissed on Alcohol to excess all behind their parents back and front up on Sundays at the meetings and may even comment .

  So don`t under-estimate the youth in the J.W.religion ,they are a ticking time bomb for the religion.

  They do what they want to do and won`t be dictated to by anybody ,G.B.,Elders , or parents .

  Jehovah ,Christ Jesus don`t even come into the equation .
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  stuckinarut2

  Bring it on!
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  OnTheWayOut

  There have been a number of documentaries about cults. They tend to be made-for-television and most have had a small following. Leah Remini's series about Scientology was much bigger.
  
  I think to break past a hesitancy to make a film where some large entity (Watchtower) could sue the filmmakers, we might see a film more along the lines of "The Master."
  
  It was a fiction largely based on the founding of Scientology. When I saw it, I had to look up whether it was entirely fictional or not. It was entirely fictional.
  
  But if public opinion continues to sway against groups that have allowed the covering up of child molestation in their past, then I could see a movie made that was directly anti-JW.
  
  I think a huge problem with a big production movie meant to fill theaters with people would be that the Ray Franz story would have to be hugely over-dramatized to have such a following.
  
  If it were me as a producer, and I was stuck with the Ray Franz story, I would see if I could switch it to a Fred Franz story. It takes us through much more interesting times prior to Ray's presence in New York Bethel and allows for a villain to later be shown as a broken man, dying but with his dissonance intact, and morphing into the Ray vs. Fred Franz story.
  
  
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  SnakesInTheTower

  My family and I watched Come Sunday this evening. I wouldn't have watched it or known about it if not for listening to This American Life on NPR, which did this story in 2005 and rebroadcast this weekend because this movie came out on Netflix. TAL produced the docudrama.

  Interesting movie, makes more sense if you hear the original story first. I enjoyed it. 1:45 a bit long. Big name actors though.

  As for a movie based on anything JW related, it is too limited an audience to be economically feasible. As much as the ex-JW community makes of them, the religion is of little consequence in the minds of non JWs. The carts are a joke, the door knocking is limited, and it is a dying religion. Just not fast enough four our tastes.

  Snakes (Rich)