Member Screening: One of Us

Join the Jewish Film Institute for a special sneak preview screening of the new Netflix Originals documentary One of Us, a behind-the-curtains look at Hasidic life in the United States with directors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady in person (Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You, SFJFF 2016).

One of Us plays like a documentary thriller about individuals trying to escape a closed society. New York's Hasidim are one of the most insular communities in North America. Haunted by the Holocaust's decimation, they live by strict codes that discourage contact with outsiders. We meet three people who are driven to break away despite threats of retaliation. Etty was forced into marriage at age 19, birthed seven children by age 29, and recounts a history of spousal abuse. Luzer, in his late twenties, broke ties with his family in order to pursue his dreams as an actor. Eighteen-year-old Ari suffers from the trauma of sexual abuse and wants to explore a different way of life.

Filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady captured these lives for over a year of twists and turns. Cinematographers Alex Takats and Jenni Morello vary between close-up intimacy and long-lens surveillance to manoeuvre in neighbourhoods where cameras and outsiders are met with suspicion. Composer Todd Griffin supplies a haunting score.While rooted in a specific community, One of Us explores a universal theme: the value of individuality versus belonging to a group. What does it mean to separate oneself from everything that's familiar? These stories have much to teach about courage, resilience, and claiming one's own identity. – Toronto International Film Festival