Most critics like Apostasy, and the reviews cluster closely. They describe Kokotajlo’s debut as an intelligent, assured drama about a Jehovah’s Witness family, and nearly all of them note that it declines to sneer at the faith it examines. The praise settles on the three lead performances, and on Molly Wright above all, whose playing of Alex is called tender and emotionally precise. Siobhan Finneran’s subtler turmoil is also singled out, as is the close, claustrophobic cinematography.
The reservations are few and mild. The one mixed review, from Little White Lies, calls the film well made and noble in intent but wonders whether the material would have worked better as a documentary, a worry no other critic shares. Beyond that, the spread runs from warm to warmer: the festival notices from autumn 2017 are the most enthusiastic, while the reviews around its 2018 release settle on solid four-star approval. Nobody calls it a failure.