Deliver
Us from Evil
2006
A
devastating investigation into the pedophilia scandals tearing
apart the Catholic Church. Investigating Father Oliver O'Grady,
who agreed to be interviewed by filmmaker Amy Berg. O'Grady's
genial calm is at first ingratiating, until he begins to describe
his crimes with an unsettling sociopathic detachment.
The
documentary also unveils how church superiors covered up
O'Grady's crimes and shuffled him from diocese to diocese in
northern California, finally placing him in an unsupervised
position of authority in a small town, where he sexually
assaulted dozens of children.
What makes this documentary crucial
viewing, are the remarkable interviews with the victims (now
adults) and their parents wrenching stories (Click on Title to Buy)
|
|
 A
Life Apart - Hasidism in America
Hasidic Jews seem alien, and even hostile, to those outside their culture, which frequently includes other Jews. They dress differently, don't mingle between the sexes, speak Yiddish, and wear side curls, all in an attempt to rigorously follow the commandments of the Torah. They tend to keep to themselves, shunning television and the media so outside influences cannot corrupt their values and views. Yet filmmakers Oren Rudavsky and Menachem Daum were able to enter their world, and the result is the fascinating documentary A Life Apart: Hasidism in America.
Using interviews with academics and members of the community and some historical footage, the filmmakers trace the growth of Hasidic groups in the United States. Groups formed around particular Rebbes (learned leaders) and they took their names from their Eastern European home cities (the Samovar Hasids, the Breslover Hasids, and so on).
Leonard Nimoy and Sarah Jessica Parker narrate, explaining how this movement came to America and how it was able to flourish. Dissenting voices also appear, in the form of neighborhood people who are distressed at the Hasids' refusal to speak to members not in their community and of a young woman, Pearl Gluck, who left the community in order to pursue her writing and to follow a life of her own choosing.
Many Hasids refuse to speak on camera, and we see many shielding themselves with hands or coats so as not to appear on film. But those who do appear are poignant in their discussions of why the Hasidic life is important to them. One man speaks to the directors, even as he acknowledges that he will never see the movie, but he will do it "in order to help a Jew make a living."
One couple, Holocaust survivors, are not Hasidic, but their children are, and the reasonings of both the parents and the children are interesting. This film, shown on PBS, is a consequential look into a lifestyle many of us don't understand, and it may help in increasing an understanding. (Click on Title to Buy)
|
|
Islam:
What the West Needs to Know
Through an examination of the Koran, other Islamic texts, and the example of the prophet Muhammad, this documentary establishes, through a sober and methodical presentation, that violence against non-Muslims is and has always been an integral aspect of Islam. "Jihad," while best translated as "struggle," as represented in the Koran and the life of Muhammad, means nothing less than organized warfare against unbelievers.
Relying primarily on Islam's own sources, this documentary demonstrates that Islam is a violent, expansionary ideology that seeks the destruction or subjugation of other faiths, cultures, and systems of government.
The documentary consists of original interviews, citations from Islamic texts, Islamic artwork, computer-animated maps, footage of Western leaders, and Islamic television broadcasts. Its tone is sober, methodical, and compelling.
Features interviews with Islam experts Robert Spencer, Serge Trifkovic, Bat Ye'or, Abdullah Al-Araby, and former terrorist Walid Shoebat. (Click on Title to Buy)
|
