Apostasy, subtitled A Twice Told Tale in Black, Red and White, is a 1979 Australian drama film directed by Zbigniew Friedrich.
Contents
Plot
Set in the summer of 1973 two people meet against during social and political turmoil in Australia, including the dismissal of the Whitlam government. As their relationship develops, a gap grows between them and the world around them.
Cast
Rod McNicol as The Man
Juliet Bacskai as The Woman
Phil Motherwell as Madman on the Street
Alan Money as Old Man in Cafe
Paul Cox as Photographer
Ross Skiffington as Magician
Irene Barberis as Woman at the Table
Richard Doctors as Concertina Player
J.J. Jannu as Wood Sculptor
Reception
Steve Wallace in Filmnews said it is "a powerful and brave film that will, unfortunately, only ever be seen by a small number of people in this country." He finishes writing that it "is worthwhile and has a lot to give those willing to take from it." The Sydney Morning Herald's critic Meaghan Morris wrote "Apostasy is an extremely difficult film to come to terms with."
In Australian film, 1978-1992 : a survey of theatrical features Scott Murray noted "Zbigniew Friedrich's Apostasy is typical of many low-budget films of the 1970s. Shot on 16mm, with an essentially unprofessional cast and inexperienced crew, it is very personalised and personal film-making." Looking back at the film in Cinema Papers, Helen Grace calls Motherwell's performance "brilliantly volatile" and writes "For a long while it was hard to watch the film; its angst and romanticism seemed misplaced-too European, perhaps... In such a film, you can glimpse the possibilities of a much edgier, more nervous, richer cinema than the one we now have."