Two very different documentaries

We have seen two movies over the past week. The first we watched on Netflix, a movie called “One of Us.” This documentary focuses on three individuals who were born and raised into the Chassidic Jewish community but chose as young adults to leave the community. One of the reasons that these communities have been so successful is that they provide a strong support system for their members. They celebrate together through joyous times and take care of each other through hard times. What is expected in return is strict observance of Jewish law as their leaders have interpreted it. For individuals who seek even a small amount of independence or divergence from the community norms, the life can be smothering. But leaving is no easy feat, because people who are raised and educated in such environments have little knowledge of even the simplest aspects of life outside their communities.

The first of the three young people, and in many ways the most painful of the stories, is Etty, a woman in her early 30s who seeks a divorce from an abusive husband, father of her children. The second is a teenager named Ari, who simply wants to learn more about the outside world but is forced to leave in order to do so. And the third, Luzer, walked away from a wife and children in order to pursue an acting career in the secular world. There are no sugar-coated happy endings here.

We went downtown to the IFC Center yesterday to see “The Final Year,” a documentary about President Barack Obama’s last year in office. The film essentially followed the lives of four members of the administration during that year: The President, Secretary of State John Kerry, Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power, and Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes. I have to be honest and admit that I was not paying nearly as much attention to such matters then as I am now. Although I was certainly familiar with John Kerry, I cannot state with certainty that I could have named Ms. Power or Mr. Rhodes had I been asked a few years ago. I know that some of my readers were not enormous fans of the previous president and his policies both foreign and domestic, but at this point I think it is fair to assume that most of us miss those somewhat quieter and more civilized times.

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the impending closure of one of our favorite movie theaters, The Lincoln Plaza Cinema at Broadway between 62^nd and 63^rd Streets. Somehow, I guess I’ve been asleep at the wheel here because what I had not noticed was that The Landmark Sunshine Theater, formerly downtown, has closed and reopened as The Landmark at 57 West (West 57^th Street between 11^th and 12^th Avenues). We need to check that out – it looks really nice, with plush seating a bit more like the “Luxe Level” we enjoy at the theaters in Massachusetts. Stay tuned for an update.

Meanwhile, have a good week.

Love,

Rebecca