I’ll admit; I’m fond of a good cult story. I also like stories that take place in a different time period. So, when you add the two together with a bit of a Celtic Pagan flare, I’m there!
One night I was stumbling around Netflix looking for something to watch when I came across something called Apostle. A kidnapped sister, an opium addict, a cult on an island and the looming presence of something else… something ancient and pagan in nature?
How could I say no to this? Also, Michael Sheen is in it and I like him.
Cults And Religion
Dan Stevens plays an addict who has had a rough past with his faith. So, clearly this makes him the perfect candidate to go rescue his sister from a zealous cult. Because plot, that’s why.
But it made for an interesting dynamic though I wish there were more on his drug use and addiction. It just seemed to fizzle out half way through the movie as more pressing matters came in like how the cult run by Michael Sheen’s character was into some dodgy things like murder and conspiracy. That was only the half of it though.
The movie made some good commentary on how dangerous blind faith and self proclaimed god-hood can be. What interests me most about cults is how a person can dig into another’s brain and take control of their thoughts and abolish all logic and replace it with their own ideology.
This is why cult movies really interest me and this movie did a good job at both intriguing me and frustrating me with characters who were easily manipulated by the ruse of salvation. These zealous attitudes can be a dangerous thing, even today and looking into cults have always jabbed at that morbid curiosity I have behind the manipulation of a cult leader.
The movie is a lot of fun to watch though be warned, don’t eat while watching it. It hits hard in the gut during the final act. The cast did a good job at portraying their flawed and tragic characters, especially Dan Stevens. Though the ending did leave me with some questions.
If you’re in for a wild, possibly controversial ride down a rabbit hole that is dogmatic faith, some ghoulish pagan shenanigans and some really creative torture devices, then buckle up and watch Apostle.
