Purely Joyful Movie!

n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Its very difficult to not have an opinion about Hessidic Jews or any religion that seems a wee bit off when it comes to behaviorism. If you didn't have an opinion, watch 'on of us' and you will have one on Hessidic Jews.Forget the clothing and the side-burn-decorations and the wacky hats, that all doesn't really matter. Nothing wrong with having an identity.What matters is the seemingly backward way of thinking and living. My first though was 'this equals Wahabbi-ism and is no different, if not worse, than sharia'.One of Us offers great insight in the life of Hessidic Jews and the hardship, mental abuse and Neanderthal-ways those borne into this religion have to endure.

The film does an excellent job of drawing the viewers into the characters who are brave to share their horrific stories. That said the movie left me feeling short - what happened to the characters? where do we go from here?Also, the film only depicts the Satmar Chassidic sects, one of many and the most insular. Some such as the Lubavitch value community outreach and sponsor Chabad as a house of worship that welcomes all Jews.To the gentleman reviewer who said that Chassidic customs date back to Moses is plain wrong. The Chassidic movement started in 18th century Europe and the outfits the men wore (and still do) were designed to mock the European nobility of that time. Many of the customs such as women shaving their hair have nothing to do with Jewish law, and American Reform/Conservative Judaic practices do not erase "99%" of Jewish observances. Furthermore, not all Orthodox are Chassidic and most Jews are not orthodox...and so it goes.We Jews come in different shapes, sizes and have varying degrees of observance. It is unfortunate that there are some awfully bad eggs.

Well edited that is my first comment. Well edited and constructed as a documentary film. An important story unlike many other stories of insular communities that fear the modern world and how it will affect their flock.It does not include the young Hasidic man who left and trans into a woman. Perhaps that is a story that deserves its own documentary.To the courageous men and women who step out of the circle and into the unknown, through their courage, desire, their wanting to let go of something which for them is outdated, I am humbled by your beings.The most important observation for me of this film which I relate to Israel as a nation, we are a people who came from survivors, be it the European holocaust or the holocaust Jews faced in the Sephardic and Arab countries. Somehow for some reason we survive to carry on our tradition of loving the One God.And we are a damaged people who continually remember that in each generation we must face potential persecution for our commitment and love of God. We are an amazing people who through our love of God, in however we may express it continue to be on this planet even now with our own country and communities like this Hassidic community.This is a film that should be screened in all schools around the world - an example of people wanting to live in freedom and yet are always haunted by their desire to love and be Good to God.Amen - bless you all and to those support groups who help people transition from one world to another.

One of us follows Ety, Ari and Luzer. They were born and raised in the Hasidic community (a Orthodox Jewish group). Each one decides to leave everything once sacred to them for a secular way of life. Some must cut ties with family and friends for that is what leaving entails. Throughout the film We hear their sad personal story's. Ety talks of abuse she suffered at the hands of her husband. Ari of molestation in camp. They tell us how this community is cut off from the rest of the world. A little bubble that for the most part doesn't speak English or engage in secular study's. Ari says "I couldn't google how to google because i didn't know how to google. The subtext of the film paints the Hasidic community as a mindless cult that for some reason related to the holocaust wont let you leave its clutches. They make it seem as if men and woman are unhappily locked in this culture with no way out. They fail to give perspective from inside the community. They don't talk to any of the thousands living the hasidic lifestyle. Rather They only focus on three stories that manage to cast doubt and shadows over the entire community.I will try and give perspective from inside the community. They are made up of Hasidic Jews who continue to keep the religion of their fathers dating back too Moses (1391 BCE), king David, King Solomon and all the rest of Jewish ancestry. until around 250 years ago every Jew was about as religious as them. keeping to the same laws and tradition. The reform and conservative movement "reformed" Judaism and slowly did away with 99% of its laws and customs. They denied traditional Jewish beliefs and reinterpreted what being Jewish meant. This new Jewish view spread through Europe, where most Jews lived at the time. It infecting many homes and religious community's with a cynical view for religious practice and culture . There were two approaches taken by religious community's to protect themselves from the secular wave. The Hasidic community's did their best to block out secularism in all forms, since it was the breeding ground for religious and bible criticism. They stayed away from university's and continued to speak their own dialect- Yiddish. Due to this they were mostly successful at keeping out any reform to judiasim. The other approach was to embrace secular knowledge, science, and advancement but from a religious perspective each shedding light on the other. (Rabbi Samson R. Hirsh championed this second approach.) Then came the holocaust which killed 6 million Jews sending many refugees to the American shores. The secular, reform Jews spread throughout America without much need for community since religion played a small if any role in their life. The Hasidim looking to rebuild and continue their old way of life established community's with synagogues and private schools to teach their children what they held most dear; religion. They continued the outlook of let us keep away from secular knowledge and enclose our selves in community's that are guarded from the American way of life. Today there are more than 100,000 living similar to this way. They have large and extremely supportive family's. My judgement is, their happiness ratio is much higher than the rest of Americas. They have organizations in the community for just about anything you can imagine. Charity, visiting the ill, meals for new mothers and even fixing your flat tire. There is no end to the amount of kindness and support they give each other. They live good and fulfilling lives albeit not in clubs and bars. It goes without saying there are bad people in every place of the world. Being religious doesn't prevent someone from making the choice to do evil. There will always be those that steal, molest and abuse. Maybe sometimes flying under the radar into positions like teacher or principle. This documentary is about those that unfortunately fell into the hands of such people. Although they want to leave the community they weren't raised with the secular background to do so. Even though the community may understand the person has been hurt they will never condone or help one leave religion since after all God is God and no matter the circumstances they will follow his ways and teachings. When in the case of Ety, (who for the knowing viewer has just about left her religion) the community's role becomes to save the children from her bad ways and protect them from her influence. Her own mother was on the community's side. while she surely cried to sleep over her daughters plight, she had to save her grandchildren. If one takes issue with their religious way of life its because you think their religion is not true. They not only believe its true and the best for them and their children but have as a nation experienced revelation in Sinai desert in front of 3,000,000 people and have a long history of forefathers that gave their life for their faith. There is much more to be said but this must suffice. (as a side note there are numerous other Jewish community's that keep the same laws and mostly the same customs as the Hasidim. They however took a softer approach then blocking out the American/secular world. They speak English and work regular jobs but inside they are the same god fearing and religious. A example of one such community is a large part of Midwood Flatbush Brooklyn N.Y.)