#TIMOTHY WEBBER IN TICKET TO HEAVEN FREE#

He graduates and is put to work as a volunteer laborer for the cult. Īll of the elements of the camp begin to have an effect on David mentally. There is also a low-calorie, low-protein diet sleep deprivation and constant positive reinforcement.

At the camp, everything is done in groups, including chanting and singing. The film is based on the nonfiction book Moonwebs by Josh Freed.įollowing a relationship breakup, David Kappel ( Nick Mancuso), a twentysomething school teacher, visits what turns out to be a training camp for a religious cult. The plot concerns the recruiting of a man into a group portrayed to be a religious cult, and his life in the group until forcibly extracted by his family and friends. Thomas and starring Nick Mancuso, Saul Rubinek, Meg Foster, Kim Cattrall, and R.H. But what distinguishes a cult from other faith-based belief systems whose primary symbols are a deity, a messiah, and a Satan? Their wider acceptance? Whatever one's opinion about religion in all its forms, it certainly creates the mind-set and iconography in which cults have flourished throughout the centuries - sometimes going on to become the standard in their part of the world.Ticket to Heaven is a 1981 Canadian drama film directed by Ralph L. Perhaps the most significant question of the film - unstated and perhaps unintentional - is this: the Heavenly Children are a cult, and defined as such, so we may ignore their teachings and beliefs as mere fantasies with no basis. This was genuine and touching, but the open and loving camaraderie is also one of the chains that bind David to the group. In his mixed terror and relief at surviving the accident, the other members gather round, laughing and hugging him, without a hint of blame for having nearly killed them all. Interestingly odd note: the scene in which an exhausted David falls asleep at the wheel of the van taking his companions home, and swerves off the highway into a ditch. And Meg Foster, of course, whose mutant eyes make actual acting unnecessary. A tiny grin on the face of Linc Strunc when he sees a point hit home in David the final darted glance by the rescued David at the Heavenly Children standing at their car - not fear, not triumph, but not conviction either.

I was particularly affected by the frequent use of what I like to call 'face acting': flashes of CU and ECU in which an actor can reveal internal thoughts and struggles without clunky words. I'll leave it to others better versed to explore the individual performances, but to me all the parts are handled skilfully and thoughtfully by competent actors. The film benefited enormously from having a set of fine actors who have gone on to great things in the industry.

#TIMOTHY WEBBER IN TICKET TO HEAVEN FREE#

Only Larry's well-prepared rescuer (Eric?) is equipped to break free of the web. I still think it's well done: we see the induction process operating successfully on a typical unarmed and unresisting victim in the form of David and on a more resistant but still unarmed Larry. It's helped, perhaps, by the fact that we want to see and understand the raw documentary details as much as we want the story to play out. This film blends its didactic message into a tense storyline with huge skill. Various fundamentalist groups have employed such 'flirty fishing' techniques with terrible effect. I fear for my gender, because for a certain age group of men, a smiling, cajoling Ruthie can get almost anything. Of all these influences I find the character of Ruthie perhaps the most frightening and effective: cute as a button, shining with enthusiasm and energy, playful, flirtatious, controlling, prettily wheedling - and totally dedicated to bringing in new freshly-emptied heads for 'Father'. They simply wouldn't have the time to realise that they *want* to resist. The sleep deprivation, constant presence of others, constant barrage of reinforcing messages, powerful peer pressure and not a moment available to think - I don't believe anyone could resist. The process is brilliant, diabolical and irresistible. The most profound lesson for me is the clear message that NO-ONE, no matter how cynical and initially unsympathetic, would be able to resist the methods this group employs to suck in new inductees - provided only that they are unaware in advance of what is going on. This film should be required viewing for anyone who believes in Free Will, or that Individual Liberties are all that matters.

Timothy webber in ticket to heaven