Inspiring! A Man Who Was Sexually Abused By His Uncles As A Child Is The more we learn, the more sinister those happy home movies look. Crawling out of the catacombs of self-deprecating guilt, to feel cared for again, was not easy. After finishing film school at Montana State University, he discovered the raw materials that. By probing the gap between image and reality, the film depicts both how little and how much a camera can capture. A poem for Parsha Parsha Acharei Mot-Kedoshim, Spielberg Says Antisemitism Is No Longer Lurking, But Standing Proud Like 1930s Germany, Young Actress Juju Brener on Her Hocus Pocus 2 Role, Behind the Scenes of Jeopardy! with Mayim Bialik, Unpacking the Crisis in Israel and BrainstormingSolutions. A Man Who Was Sexually Abused By His Uncles As A Child Is Making A Documentary That Will Change Lives! I would watch moments from my childhood beautiful moments, gorgeous, joyful moments that I had completely forgotten about. This TEDx Talk features Sasha Joseph Neulinger. Neulinger talked with The Inquirer about his film, seven years in the making, about seeing his parents with new eyes, and about the Flyers. He tried to live a normal kid's life but was dying inside. Is Director Ari Aster a Madman or a Genius? Filmmaker Sasha Neulinger shares story as CAPstone, CASA spotlighted at Documentary Sheds Light on Child Abuse - Jewish Exponent He said that, according to current statistics, one out of every four girls and one out of every six boys will be sexually abused before age 18. Given how much Rewind relies, from the get-go, on home movie footage of the clanwhich would soon come to include a daughter, Bekah, whom Sasha fiercely lovedJacquis early comment implies a forthcoming focus on the harmful presence of technology in modern American households. After scoring very high marks on his standardized tests after Kindergarten, Sasha began displaying frequent withdrawal episodes. Sasha Joseph Neulinger (born 1989) is an American actor and director born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Sasha said it was because of Bekahs private club with Stuart, one of his Uncle Howards nephews. A natural reaction is that you want to think youre not seeing what youre actually seeing, youre not really seeing the signs, she explained. Everything is under one roof with access to justice, physical, emotional and mental healing, Neulinger said. Young man speaks out about sexual abuse in documentary To his surprise, his father had three huge boxes and over 200 hours of home video, said Neulinger, whose name change is dealt with in Rewind. That was a big part of my motivation.. On May 11, 2020, REWIND had its U.S Television Premiere on PBSs Independent Lens, bringing the film into 280 million households nationwide. In turn, they told his father, who revealed that he, too, had been sexually abused by both his brothers. Uncle Howard said to me, If you tell anyone, Ill kill you. And I believed it, he said. Composer: T. Griffin, Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day. Donations for the films development and production can still be made at rewindtofastforward.com. Read more AKIRA SUWA by Ellen Gray The view of the world from within the thick timber is very different than the view from the top of that mountain. Henrys older brothers one of whom, Howard Nevison would go on to become a renowned opera singer and well-respected cantor at a high-profile synagogue became abusers; and abuse breeds more abuse. The film was Sashas feature-length directorial debut. REWIND had its world premiere at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival. My husband disappeared into this lens.. And at the same time, I got to observe my parents more objectively now as an adult. Cantor Howard Nevison pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of indecent assault, terroristic threats, simple assault, corruption of minors and endangering the welfare of children. They provide a fun and friendly environment that shows visually the care that we provide for each child. 816 1 h 26 min 2020 13+ Sasha, it turns out, did just that, first to his therapist, whom he confided in via crayon drawings that are almost too unbearable to take, and then in a courtroom where he persuasively testified that Howard had sadistically violated him. Sasha Neulingers heroic and haunting new documentary Rewind explores how he went from a happy-go-lucky young kid to a tormented one who wanted to end his life. His mother speaks shocking truths a parent would rarely admit to a fully-grown child. The final message is that children can heal from abuse, but only if its recognized and they can talk about it, and as adults, we need to help them let go of this secret and give them the support they need so they can heal.. Well, I started therapy before I ever disclosed what was happening. It is a human issue. Sexual abuse doesnt discriminate. Sasha Joseph Neulinger, She felt things were going well for me. Sexual abuse doesnt discriminate. 2.4K. "I realized my sister was also being abused," said Sasha. The Filmmaker Sasha Joseph Neulinger is the co-founder and head of production at Step 1 Films. Sashas story has helped other survivors immensely, and ideally, these aspects would have been more intricately threaded into the documentary rather than but punctuated its ending. I thought I was awful and that I must have done something to deserve it. Digging through the vast collection of his father's home videos, a young man reconstructs the unthinkable story of his boyhood and exposes vile abuse passed through generations.Digging through the vast collection of his father's home videos, a young man reconstructs the unthinkable story of his boyhood and exposes vile abuse passed through generations.Digging through the vast collection of his father's home videos, a young man reconstructs the unthinkable story of his boyhood and exposes vile abuse passed through generations. And Temple Emanuels position was not peculiar to Temple Emanuel. After all, a celebration was the perfect time to pull out his video camera. His case spurred a larger movement in child advocacy, including the creation of Mission Kids Child Advocacy Center in East Norriton with the help of then-district attorney Risa Ferman and Abbie Newman. As the camera focuses in on the smiling and playful antics of Sasha's larger-than-life uncle's Larry and Howard, a more sinister reality begins to unravel. Its not that I didnt get love, its that I didnt feel lovable, Sasha concedes. I got to observe my abusers now more objectively as an adult. Following is the full transcript of filmmaker Sasha Joseph Neulinger's TEDx Talk titled: Trauma is Irreversible. It also speaks to the silence, often self-imposed by victims themselves, that allows such heinousness to continueat least, that is, until someone stands up and says enough. Hes a genuine profile in courage, finding the strength to do whats right for himself, and his beloved sibling, not only from within, but from those family members who truly cared about himnone greater than his maternal great-grandfather Joseph, who learns, in the films tear-inducing centerpiece, that young Sasha is casting aside his painful past by taking Josephs surname as his own. After premiering at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival, "Rewind" makes its television debut on PBS "Independent Lens.". But his fathers camera, trained on the frequent gatherings of a tight-knit family, was also documenting a hidden secret, the revelation of which would lead to a media firestorm, a high-stakes court battle, and a generational reckoning. Rewind To Fast-Forward is an autobiographical documentary about Sasha Joseph Neulinger, a survivor of multigenerational child sexual abuse. Through Kickstarter, Neulinger started raising funds to create the project that became the sixth most-backed documentary in Kickstarter history, he added, and began working with Skywalker Sound and editor Ken Schretzmann from Pixar. Rewind movie review & film summary (2020) | Roger Ebert In a case that made headlines, another uncle, Howard Nevison, then the cantor at a prominent New York synagogue, denied the charges that hed abused the boy from the ages of 4 to 7, but in a 2006 deal, agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanors and was spared a prison term. YOUR RATING. The film, which premiered at Tribeca last year and is screening on demand on Friday, May 8 and on PBS' Independent Lens on Monday, May 11, is a wrenching but necessary directorial debut for. They provide a fun and friendly environment that shows visually the care that we provide for each child. Dr. Herbert Lustig, the psychiatrist who worked with Sasha as he was revealing what happened to him, explains that the boy was victorious no matter what courts decided should happen to Nevison: Having told the truth in public, in the face of his abuser, Lustig believes he won in terms of his own emotional health. Rewind initially was slated to open in Los Angeles theaters on April 3, with a national rollout to follow, but because of the COVID-19 outbreak, it was pushed onto a digital platform. Sasha's Story Voice For The Kids This is incredibly powerful! How Camcorder Footage Exposed a Famed New York City Cantor's Shocking READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2019. Editor: Avela Grenier He was too ashamed to. "The moment that I was abused for the first time, I was severed from myself," said Sasha Joseph Neulinger. But Neulinger says that his eldest uncle, Howard Nevison, was the most brutal of his abusers and Neulinger's father alleges that Howard also molested him and Lawrence when they were. Henrys decision to conceal his own ordeal for so long (only confessing it long after Sasha had begun spiraling out of control) undoubtedly contributed to his marriages collapse. Public Speaker and Film Director of REWIND. There is nothing easy about facing severe trauma, but the reclamation of ones life in the face of adversity makes reaching the summit of that personal mountain that much more meaningful and empowering. He realized that this tug-of-war that was happening inside of him was an indication of lingering, unhealed wounds and unanswered questions from his childhood. Free Sign Up. Rewind paints a vivid but ultimately hopeful portrait of a family plagued by a vicious cycle of abuse. And when I was able to act, I was able to express my emotions, but do it in an alternative universe. And in rewatching my childhood memories and moments, I got to realize something I couldnt possibly understand as a child who felt dirty, disgusting, unlovable, and that is that I never lost what made me beautiful. Absolutely, and honestly, acting was so important for me. I Trusted Them: The Pain of Sexual Abuse, All artwork by Joel Tanis is from the walls of the CAC. The story, as Neulinger's mom Jacqui remembers it, is that her husband Henry Nevison was several hours late to Sasha's birth because he was out buying a video camera, and that beginning . What is it that tinges even. He knew that in order to truly move forward with his life, hed have to revisit his past, search for the source of his cognitive disconnect, and confront his demons head on. Love your neighbors and watch your beard. I love being able to craft an entire story and being able to share that as opposed to just sharing the emotions of a character. Before the filmmaker spells things out, he uses videos of backyard cookouts and innocent gatherings to introduce members of a gregarious extended family, in which Henry, when not holding the camera, was usually mugging for it alongside one of his brothers. Raised in Montgomery County, Pa., Neulinger grew up in a world of filmmaking. I walked away from the last three trials with my uncle Howard. He was present when interacting with others; he was gifted and joyful. Its therefore no surprise that adult Henry felt most comfortable taking cover behind a video camera, desperate as he subconsciously was to maintain a safe distance between himself and a family that, as history had taught him, was liable to hurt him. Neulinger sprinkled home-movie clips and television news broadcasts into his presentation. I got through six of them and discovered that with each question I answered, I had three more questions, and thats why I decided to interview my mom, dad, sister and others who were part of my life at the time, he said. You just kept threatening to kill yourself," said Jacqui Neulinger. But the Philadelphia Flyers are with me every single day of my life in Montana. All rights reserved. Sasha and REWIND can be a part of your next event. is a brave and wrenching look at his childhood and his journey to reconcile his past. Film-maker Sasha Joseph Neulinger rolls back the clock and reveals the truth of what happened to him. In that regard, Rewind delivers in spades. I want them to think, instead, what happens to that child if he or she is being abused and you dont report it. In those days, Neulinger had to travel to physicians offices, detective offices, Child Protective Services and various other government buildings, telling his story over and over, dozens of times. Theres deep fear. After a plea bargain, Howard was sentenced to 12 years probation, when Neulinger was 16. We do not share data with third party vendors. Distorting an expression of care with an act of vile dominance can create a black hole of shame for anyone. Sasha Joseph Neulinger - IMDb I continued to feel dirty, unlovable and responsible for what happened to me. (Though Neulinger works hard to be even-handed here, including footage that shows Uncle Howies loving side, he doesnt invite anyone from Emanu-El to share their side of the story.). Sasha Joseph Neulinger is the co-founder and head of production at Step 1 Films. Simi Horwitz is a New York-based award-winning feature writer/film reviewer. Relatives and other interested parties (detectives, doctors, attorneys, etc.) Meet new CAC Intake Coordinator, Heather Pedersen! In HBO's "The Tale," Narberth's Jennifer Fox turns to fiction to tell her own true, tough story, California residents do not sell my data request. 'Rewind' Film Review: Family Tale of Sexual Abuse Is - TheWrap Seeking justice in the courts required an endless series of painful interviews and years of legal procedure.