''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 Heidi Ewing is an American documentary filmmaker and the co-director of ''Jesus Camp'', '' The Boys of Baraka'', '' 12th & Delaware'', ''DETROPIA'', ''Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You'' (Sundance Film Festival), '' One of Us'' (Toronto ...

and

Rachel Grady Rachel () was a Biblical figure, the favorite of Jacob's two wives, and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, two of the twelve progenitors of the tribes of Israel. Rachel's father was Laban. Her older sister was Leah, Jacob's first wife. Her aun ...

, 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 perman ...

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 fi ...

, which also financed the film.

Synopsis

The film follows the lives of three ex-members of Brooklyn's Hasidic community: Ari Hershkowitz, Luzer Twersky, 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, ...

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 Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for '' intimate partne ...

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 Human sexual activity, sexual activitie ...

. 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 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 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 average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

. 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'' 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 The Critics' Choice Documentary Awards are accolades that are presented by the Critics Choice Association to honour the finest achievements in documentary filmmaking and non-fiction television. They were established in 2016, and the first ceremony ...

, 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 ...

in 2017.

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

Synopsis

Reception

Awards

See also

References

External links