''One of Us'' is a 2017 documentary feature film that chronicles the lives of three ex-
Hasidic Jews
Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of contem ...
from
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
. The film was directed by
Heidi Ewing and
Rachel Grady, who also created the documentary ''
Jesus Camp
''Jesus Camp'' is a 2006 American documentary film directed by Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing about a charismatic Christian summer camp, where children spend their summers being taught that they have "prophetic gifts" and can "take back America for ...
''. ''One of Us'' opened at the
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a permane ...
in September 2017, and was distributed the following month of October via
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
, which also financed the film.
Synopsis
The film follows the lives of three ex-members of Brooklyn's
Hasidic
Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of contem ...
community: Ari Hershkowitz,
Luzer Twersky
Luzer Twersky (born July 26, 1985) is an American film and television actor. , and
Etty Ausch. Each struggles with being ostracized from their former
community
A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...
and families, while revealing how they came to leave. The film also reveals their experience with religious doubt, as well as with both
domestic abuse and
childhood sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in sexual activities with a child (whether ...
. Some receive support from
ex-Haredi organizations such as
Footsteps, while others work to find a footing in the secular world. The film also follows counselor
Chani Getter
Chani Getter, LCSW (they/them) is a U.S. speaker, writer, therapist, and interfaith minister. Rev. Chani is also an award-winning activist and educator who supports a growing community of LGBTQ+ and non-binary people. Their life and work has been ...
in her work with helping former ultra-Orthodox individuals settle into the outside world.
Reception
''One of Us'' received overall positive reception from critics, garnering a 79% score from
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
. The site's critics consensus reads, "Harrowing and heartbreaking, ''One of Us'' offers an intimate, revealing glimpse inside a notoriously private community and those who would dare defy it."
In one review, ''
LA Weekly
''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin, who served as president and editor until 1991. Voice Media Group sold the paper in late 2017 to Semanal Media LLC, whose paren ...
'' said of the film: "Although the focus remains squarely on its three subjects, ''One of Us'' effectively contextualizes this strange, backward community thriving in the middle of one of the most multicultural cities in the world."
In ''Vulture.com'',
David Edelstein
David Edelstein (born 1959) is a freelance American film critic who has been the principal film critic for ''Slate'' and ''New York'' magazine, among others, and has appeared regularly on NPR's ''Fresh Air'' and ''CBS Sunday Morning'' programs. O ...
described "the relentless psychological abuse that this community inflicts when a member attempts to leave, especially with children in tow", and said that the film-makers "had no interest in making an 'objective documentary', although I doubt the Hasidim would have made themselves available to two women with a camera and their own hair. In such cases, they usually say, 'If you want to understand us, read the Torah.'"
Awards
''One of Us'' won "Most Compelling Living Subject of a Documentary" at the
Critics' Choice Documentary Awards, as well as being nominated for "Best Documentary". The film was also nominated for "Best Documentary Feature" at the
Philadelphia Film Festival
The Philadelphia Film Festival is a film festival founded by the Philadelphia Film Society held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The annual festival is held at various theater venues throughout the Greater Philadelphia Area.
Overview
The annual f ...
in 2017.
See also
*
''Menashe'' (film)
*
''Unorthodox'' (miniseries), Docudrama based on the memoir of
Deborah Feldman
Deborah Feldman is an American-born German writer living in Berlin, Germany. Her 2012 autobiography, '' Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots'', tells the story of her escape from an ultra-Orthodox community in Brooklyn, New Y ...
, who left her Hasidic community
* ''
Leaving the Fold
''Leaving the Fold'' is a 2008 documentary film on the lives of young men and women who left the Hasidic world of their youth. The young people featured in the film live in Canada, America, and Israel. The film was directed by Canadian filmmaker, ...
''
*
''Let There Be Light ''(2007 film)
References
External links
*
{{Films about Orthodox and Hasidic Jews
2017 documentary films
Documentary films about Jews and Judaism in the United States
2017 films
Films about Orthodox and Hasidic Jews
Films set in Brooklyn
Hasidic Judaism in New York City
Netflix original documentary films
Films shot in New York City
Anti-Orthodox Judaism sentiment