To verdener

Tonight I watched a great movie: To verdener ("Worlds Apart", in English), a Danish production directed by Niels Arden Oplev. The movie is based on the true story of Sara, a 17 year old Jehova's Witness who is expelled from her community, because she begins a relationship with a non-believer. In fact, this means that her father and siblings decide not to talk to her any longer.

Sara's journey takes her, of course, to question and finally discard her faith in Jehova.

My favorite part of the movie is the final dialogue between Sara and her father. Some time after being cast out, she shows up to attend the funeral service of a friend, after which her father calls her selfish, for imposing her presence upon them all. Sara replies:

- Do you love me, dad?

- Of course! How can you even ask me that?

- But who do you love more, me or God?

- God.

- Why?

- Because he made me. Because he will grant me eternal life.

- Well, I think that is selfish, dad.

In essence, what this man says is that he loves god more because god has given and can give him all this stuff. He is thinking of his own self-interest and implying that the love you give is directly proportional to how much you get from someone.

I do not know how faithful a portrayal of Jehova's Witnesses this movie is, but it certainly made me think... the little amount I'm able to, lately.