Engrossing, sad documentary of three individuals who break away from their Brooklyn Hasidic community and the consequences they face in doing so.
Etty is a young mother of six children abused by her husband. Luzer, a young father, simply loses his faith. Teenage Ari is something of a lost soul, uncertain of the world he finds himself a part of. Each have their own tale to tell and directors Heidi Ewing & Rachel Grady interweave the three personal stories over the 90 minute duration of the film.
Having walked away, the entire community, including her own mother, turn against Etty as she battles for her children. A sanguine Luzer moved to California but is not allowed to see his children: he did not speak to his mother for seven years. Ari is equally lost in the secular world: an intervention by his family sees him placed in rehab and, on his release, finds himself on the periphery of his former community testing the waters.
One of Us is a deeply affecting film of a closed community and the extent it will go to keep people in and everyone else out. But in the case of Etty, the film also highlights how little the law supports her in spite of constant emotional and physical threats.
Rating: 68%
Director: Heidi Ewing (Jesus Camp, Endangered), Rachel Grady (Jesus Camp, Endangered)
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