A Stranger Among Us

44.500

I haven't seen this in years, so my memory is fairly fuzzy. It's a thriller about a NYC policewoman who, to track a criminal, goes undercover in a Hasidic Jewish neighborhood--a world where women are treated somewhat differently. As I recall, it wasn't especially good--it's a trite crime-thriller plot--but the look at Hasidic culture was mildly interesting. My score is something of a guess, but I'm not particularly moved to re-watch this and modify it.

I find the film strangely sympathetic, even despite Melanie Griffith's uneven (at best) working-girl rom-com performance, it's uncritical pro-ultra orthodox judaism agenda, and it's laughable crime-story development. Even if the film's a mess, at the same time it feels personal and genuine (the Sionistic screenwriter Avrech actually thinks judaism is oh-so-fascinating and he wanted to sneak in some knowledge and facts for the public to see) in it's misguided efforts.

There have been countless films showing or trying to show sincere, genuine devout Judaism. The Jewish screenwriter and the Jewish director have collaborated to give us something both flaccidly formulaic in its genre execution, but rewarding to contemplate in regards to their common heritage.