The "Lord's Disciples"? - Is this a fictional sect?

[The Librarian]

The following film are screening as part of the Fantasia Film Festival, which runs through Aug. 3.

A Conspiracy of Faith

While films dealing with religion and the abuse/murder of children constitute a somewhat tired subgenre in parts of Europe, A Conspiracy of Faith, the third film in the Department Q series based on the best-selling novels by Jussi Adler-Olsen, is anything but exhausted. It’s a riveting Danish crime drama that touches on the cyclical nature of intergenerational abuse and the complex relationship between faith, the lack thereof, and religion. It excels in weaving a fragmented narrative, while commenting on the roots of violence and faith, and touching, for good measure, on undercurrents of racial tension in Danish society. It does all this while delivering a solid, taut thriller that rivals, if not surpasses anything out of Hollywood.

The story begins unfolding with the discovery of a bloodstained message in a bottle that finds its way to investigative team Assad and Carl. From there it is tied to the Lord’s Disciples, a sect of Jehovah’s Witnesses, a series of unreported missing children and personal crises of faith. The setting vacillates between slate grey coastline and rich golden fields, all punctuated by the mechanical drone of windmills.

The richness of the storyline and character development can, no doubt, be traced back to the novel; its success on screen is an altogether different matter. The central team of Nikolaj Lie Kaas (Carl) and Fares Fares (Assad) provide a solid ballast for the film. The conflict between Carl’s brooding atheism and Assad’s Muslim faith never feels pasted-on, forced or descends to the level of mere banter. The film’s gloomy tone is sustained with a pulse-pounding tempo, which is augmented by the very fine Pal Sverre Hagen as one of the most diabolical villains in recent memory. (Mark Carpenter and Katie Ferrar)

A Conspiracy of Faith screens in J.A. de Sève (1400 de Maisonneuve W.) today, Sunday, July 17, 10 p.m.

http://cultmontreal.com/2016/07/a-conspiracy-of-faith-hunt-for-the-wilderpeople-beware-the-slenderman-review/