PrimeWire

Whoa, this is a searing expose. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I’d heard of this film, it shares a few similarities to “Capturing the Friedmans”. Actually there was a line that made me think of that film, and that is Sasha (the main subject/narrator/director) saying that “people don’t film, you know, the bad things, they film all the nice moments” (paraphrase). Whereas in “Capturing the Friedmans” there are loads of negative, dark moments and arguments recorded; in “Rewind”, Sasha and his family have filmed mostly the typical things you’d expect in family videos. We see birthdays, bar mitzvahs, holidays, and regular moments at home—- punctuated with a few glimpses of Sasha’s emotional outbursts and disturbances.
His narration coupled with the recollections of his family members adds a very deep exploration into how things aren’t always as they seem. He discusses what he remembers from those times, even sometimes down to the day, in sharp detail he recalls his feelings of sadness, betrayal, and frustration that leads to suicidal thoughts.
Eventually he braves the storm to reveal what’s been happening to him, which unravels a long history of horrible crimes perpetrated by a trusted member of their religious community.
This is a precious documentary, although it certainly is a a dark, sad one. It’s hard to explain in a simple review just what all goes on here. You see not only old moments that depict what was, at the time, inexplicable mood swings and deep family tension, you also see the family sticking together through what truly had to have been a traumatic time for all of them. The film seems to have promoted a lot of healing just in its making, but they discuss how all of this went down long before it was even made. It gives a lot of insight on how predators operate, even though that isn’t the main subject.
Definitely recommend, although it certainly isn’t a light watch. Bless this family for speaking out.