The point of home movies is to commemorate happy events. But for filmmaker Sasha Neulinger, the memories were unbearable: a glance here, a gesture there... Hidden within the stack of VHS tapes were pieces of a ghastly childhood. For years, three family members (two uncles and a cousin) took turns sexually abusing the child. “You don’t want to open that door,” was the pediatrician’s reply when asked if the abuser could be an adult. Sasha was three when Uncle Harold singled out his nephew to continue his family’s cycle of abuse. (Harold, a beloved Cantor in New York’s largest synagogue and the most violent of the three, had also raped his younger brother.) Neulinger had the courage to speak up even after Uncle Harold threatened to kill him if he breathed a word. Unquestionably difficult to watch — wait until you learn details of Uncle Harold’s “punishment” — Neulinger’s heroic act of bravery will hopefully encourage and inspire others to come forward. (2019) — Scott Marks
This movie is not currently in theaters.