After decades struggling with personal demons, the filmmaker’s uncle, a Hasidic Jewish man, tries to get his life on track.
Filming over the course of several years, Paula Eiselt tells the story of her uncle Bernie (in Hebrew, Boruch), the only Hasidic member of her immediate family, and a man whose mental illness, alcoholism, and drug and sex addiction have cost him the life he has always desired. Nearly fifty, Bernie, who has never held a steady job, nor started a family, sets out to achieve these dreams of stability, make peace with his past, and remain clean and sober, while facing the challenges of addressing difficult personal issues that remain stigmatized within his Orthodox community. Exploring recovery within an insular yet ultimately comforting context, Eiselt offers a unique perspective on second chances and self-determination.
Eiselt has three weeks remaining in her Kickstarter campaign for post-production expenses. After a strong start, she has already raised just over half of her $25,000 goal. For more info on the doc, visit its website.
The confluence of human failings that characterize Bernie’s past – unexpected for a religious man, and certainly not talked about – offer an intriguing opportunity to provide insight about Orthodox Judaism and how its followers reckon with these modern challenges. As a family member, Eiselt is singularly positioned to serve as a sympathetic and intimate confidante for her uncle’s surprising testimony, but, coming from outside of his Hasidic community, she has a distinct perspective that allows her to maintain a critical distance while still opening a window onto a culture that is not widely familiar.
Note: If you have a feature documentary currently in production or post-production and would like to be considered for an In the Works profile, tell me about it here.
what (not) to doc 