One of Us

The documentary follows three people trying to leave the Hasidic community in New York: a woman escaping violence, a young man abused as a child, and another who has already stepped outside. The price of leaving is not only belief; language, education, family, custody and the entire social network go at once. Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady film across years, and as the process continues you see a divorce case turn into a siege. The film does not condemn the community wholesale, and it does not conceal what is done to those who leave either. The support organisation Footsteps is part of the story. It went out on Netflix. Who it is for: viewers who like documentaries about closed communities and faith. Who it is not for: anyone wanting a balanced portrait of the community, since the film stands with those who left.