Ticket to Heaven

{{Infobox film

| name = Ticket to Heaven

| image = Ticket to Heaven.jpg

| caption = DVD cover

| director = Ralph L. Thomas

| producer = Alan Simmonds
Vivienne Leebosh
Ronald Cohen

| writer = Josh Freed
Anne Cameron
Ralph L. Thomas

| narrator =

| starring = {{Plain list |

}}

| music = Micky Erbe
Maribeth Solomon

| cinematography = Richard Leiterman

| editing = Ron Wisman

| distributor = Miracle Films Ltd (Canada), United Artists (US and other nations)

| released = {{Film date|1981|09|10|Toronto Festival of Festivals|1981|10|09|U.S.}}

| runtime = 109 minutes

| country = Canada

| language = English

| budget = C$4,500,000{{cite news | last =Staff | title =Box office business for Ticket to Heaven (1981) | work =IMDb | url =https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083201/business | access-date = 2007-11-23}}

| gross =

}}

Ticket to Heaven is a 1981 Canadian drama film directed by Ralph L. Thomas and starring Nick Mancuso, Saul Rubinek, Meg Foster, Kim Cattrall, and R.H. Thomson. 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. The film is based on the nonfiction book Moonwebs by Josh Freed.

Plot

Following a relationship breakup, David Kappel, a twentysomething school teacher, visits what turns out to be a training camp for a religious cult. At the camp, everything is done in groups, including chanting and singing. There is also a low-calorie, low-protein diet; sleep deprivation; and constant positive reinforcement.

All of the elements of the camp begin to have an effect on David mentally. He graduates and is put to work as a volunteer laborer for the cult. In an especially powerful scene, he vomits up a hamburger and milkshake which he had just eaten in violation of cult dietary guidelines.

David sets out to work, led by cult leader Patrick. David is shocked when Patrick lies to a customer, but Patrick explains that they are only "using Satan's methods to do God's work", and that it is okay because "it's only Satan's money we're taking."

David's best friend Larry and his parents, Morley and Esther, are concerned about him. Larry visits the cult's camp and almost falls under their influence as well. He escapes with the help of Eric, a fellow camp attendee who befriends him. The latter reveals he has been visiting various cult camps, trying to find his sister. Once free, Larry returns home.

David's parents, Larry, Eric, and some other friends forcibly kidnap David, bringing him to a private home in the area and enlisting the aid of a cult deprogrammer, Linc Strunk, to help him regain his normal mindset. After some struggle, David slowly comes to recognize the cult's dishonesty and mistreatment. He is confused and when he asks about "true love", he is told that he only needs to look around him: at Larry, his brother Danny, Sarah, his parents, and everything they've done for him, and still are enduring for him. Crying, he embraces them all. Everyone reunites and embraces outside the deprogramming house, while several cult members watch from a distance.

Cast

Nick Mancuso as David Kappel
Saul Rubinek as Larry
Meg Foster as Ingrid
Kim Cattrall as Ruthie
R.H. Thomson as Linc Struc
Jennifer Dale as Lisa
Guy Boyd as Eric
Dixie Seatle as Sarah
Paul Soles as Morley Kappel
Harvey Atkin as Mr. Stone
Robert Joy as Patrick
Timothy Webber as Greg
Marcia Diamond as Esther Kappel
Michael Zelniker as Danny
Christopher Britton as Simon
Claire Pimparé as Sharing Group Member
Josh Freed as Sharing Group Member
Michael Wincott as Gerry
Charles Gray as Musician
Marie-Lynn Hammond as singer at mansion

Reception

=Critical response=

The film was selected as one of the top ten films of 1981 by the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures.{{citation needed|date=January 2019}} Roger Ebert gave the film three and a half out of four stars, but added that the ending was less interesting and powerful than the earlier cult indoctrination scenes.{{cite news | last =Ebert | first =Roger | title =Ticket to Heaven, Review | work =Chicago Sun-Times | publisher =rogerebert.suntimes.com | date =January 1, 1981 | url =http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19810101/REVIEWS/101010373/1023 | access-date = 2007-11-23 }} Janet Maslin of The New York Times called it "an absorbing, frightening, entirely believable movie, which is particularly amazing in view of its subject matter."{{cite news | last =Maslin | first =Janet | title ='Ticket to Heaven,' A Sleeper About Cults | work =The New York Times | date =November 13, 1981 | url = https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0CE1DA113BF930A25752C1A967948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all | access-date = 2009-12-12 }}

On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an approval rating of 78%, based on reviews from 9 critics.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ticket_to_heaven|title = Ticket to Heaven|website = Rotten Tomatoes}}

=Accolades=

Ticket to Heaven was nominated for fourteen 1982 Genie Awards, and won four :

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
Year ! Award ! Category ! Recipients ! Result
rowspan="15"\|1982 \| rowspan="15"\|Genie Awards
Best Motion Picture \| Ronald I. Cohen, Vivienne Leebosh \| {{Won}}
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role \| Nick Mancuso \| {{Won}}
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role \| Saul Rubinek \| {{Won}}
Best Achievement in Film Editing \| Ron Wisman \| {{Won}}
Best Achievement in Direction \| Ralph L. Thomas \| {{Nominated}}
Best Achievement in Music Score \| Micky Erbe, Maribeth Solomon \| {{Nominated}}
Best Achievement in Overall Sound \| Marc Chiasson, Bruce Carwardine, Glen Gauthier \| {{Nominated}}
Best Achievement in Sound Editing \| Marc Chiasson, Glen Gauthier, Don White, David Appleby, Bruce Carwardine \| {{Nominated}}
Best Performance by a Foreign Actor \| Guy Boyd \| {{Nominated}}
Best Performance by a Foreign Actress \| Meg Foster \| {{Nominated}}
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role \| R.H. Thomson \| {{Nominated}}
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role \| Kim Cattrall \| {{Nominated}}
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role \| Dixie Seatle \| {{Nominated}}
Best Screenplay Adapted from Another Medium \| Ralph L. Thomas, Anne Cameron \| {{Nominated}}

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"

Year

! Award

! Category

! Recipients

! Result

rowspan="15"|1982

| rowspan="15"|Genie Awards

Best Motion Picture

| Ronald I. Cohen, Vivienne Leebosh

| {{Won}}

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role