One of Us
Dir: Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady
2017
***
Heidi Ewing and
Rachel Grady’s infamous fly on the wall documentary Jesus Camp was a terrifying
look at how religion has become twisted, manipulated and the opposite
of what it thinks it is. It focused in one particular subject – a Christian summer
camp for kids. In their 2017 documentary ‘One of Us’ the spectrum is
much wider, but unfortunately a little less focused. I really do the
it when people accuse such documentaries as being ‘unbalanced’ in their views
because religion, unless being discussed in a wider sense, is either going
to be told from the side of a believer or non-believer. A documentary that
seeks out to find the truth of whether God really exists would be long, arduous
and wouldn’t have a conclusion, certainly not one that would please
everyone. One of Us chronicles the lives of three ex-Hasidic Jews who all live
in Brooklyn. The film is of course one-sided, the Hasidic community and
synagogue aren’t exactly going to take part in a film of this nature.
I believe everything the three subjects say, the tales of violence, sexual
abuse and mental starvation all ring true. One lives in fear, a young
women ostracized by her community and family with children to think
of. Another has more confidence but is still clearly haunted by his experiences
and the last is young and struggles with his new found freedom, eventually
turning to drugs and anything else that can numb the pain. The young women has
children, that is her main focus but the two men feel lost, now that they have
fled everything they have ever known. They know they don’t agree with
where they were but they don’t know enough about outside life in order to
function like an average member of society. Once more Heidi Ewing and Rachel
Grady focus on how religion can close the mind and how people struggle when
their questions are not answered. The way abuse is accepted and then covered up
is also distressing. I don’t think religious people should be
offended, as the wrongs here are human, we’re a bad race, religion is one of
the many ways we try and justify our bad nature. I think the three subjects
were exceptionally brave for coming out against their communities, especially
as they had many friends and family still within them. Other members would come
up to them in the street and were defensibly hostile, which won’t do
their community any good. The interesting aspect for me was learning of the
support organisations (Footsteps) for people who leave the community. The
interviews were hard to listen to but also fascinating. I’m sure much of their
experiences would also shock the Hasidic community, so I hope they see the film
also and enter into dialogue. I’m an atheist but I say live and let
live, believe in whatever you have to – you can’t prove God exists and I can’t
prove he doesn’t but I do believe in people (as horrible as they can be) and
open communication and mutual respect. If you hide your faults behind God and
are okay with that then your religion means nothing. It doesn’t have the same
impact of Jesus Camp but it is compelling and it outs an important
truth.
