Educational Media Reviews Online

Susan Korda originally set out to make a grant-funded documentary about the new German identity, but while filming, turned her thoughts to Nazi Germany and her own troubled family. Her parents were Holocaust survivors and her older brother Jules, "Juicy", constantly taunted and beat her as a child. Riding on a train with a ceramic garden dwarf named Oscar, Susan admits that she cannot tolerate modern Germany and can only focus on German cruelty.

One of Us exposes us to Susan's intimate and heart-wrenching journey to unveil the disturbing truths and mysteries in her family. She artfully weaves together images from family snapshots, 8mm film, and drawings, as well as WWII newsreel footage. Susan describes her parents' Holocaust experiences and family life in America thereafter. She gradually reveals that she also has a sister named Delores with Down Syndrome; she, her mother and brother used to visit Delores at the Willowbrook state institution where she was placed. In interviewing her father for this film, Susan comes to realize that he left the family after Delores was born. He had chosen Delores' name for its meaning, "pain." Susan's father has long ago remarried and seem incapable of expressing the depth of his feelings to help Susan find the answers she needs. Juicy is now wracked by a series of mental and physical ailments for which his father shows little mercy.

In the last third of the film, Susan visits Delores in New Hampshire where she lives with an adopted family who has another child with Down Syndrome. Delores appears extremely happy, and Susan expertly films candid shots inside the home and poolside. There is ecstasy in the final scene with Susan and Delores cavorting together in the pool. Susan finally seems to experience childish happiness in reuniting with her sister, who clearly lives very fully in the moment.

One of Us is an honest and disturbing story of personal growth. It is recommended for college and university collections, as well as public libraries with documentary collections dealing with family issues. It is exceedingly well crafted and edited. Because of the issues of family life and personal identity, this film is best suited for graduate and undergraduate psychology classes studying family dynamics. It can also be used with groups and classes about the Holocaust, particularly those that deal with children of survivors.