City of Joel

City of Joel is a 2018 documentary film that offers a deep exploration of a highly unusual American town known as Kiryas Joel, located in Monroe, New York. The remarkable quality of this community is that it is entirely inhabited by Satmar Hasidim, an ultra-orthodox Jewish sect, and it is the most densely populated town in the United States. Director Jesse Sweet dives into the inherently complex everyday life of this township, while carefully portraying the complexities of religious freedoms, community survival, and suburban development.

The film follows the journey of a town trying to maintain its centuries-old traditions and values while coping with the demands of the escalating population in a rapidly modernizing world. The Satmar Hasidic community has to wrestle with secular neighbors as they strive to expand their town to accommodate an increasing population that doubles about every decade. This invariably results in pushback and tensions from the surrounding community not keen on expansion, laying the groundwork for a consequential cultural conflict.

City of Joel offers a fascinating look into the intricate dynamics of cultural difference and hostility. The documentary filmmakers took great pains to provide a balanced perspective on both the Hasidim and their secular neighbors, showcasing the deep-seated divisions and mistrust between these two communities. Through interviews with multiple stakeholders, including local authorities, real estate developers, secular residents, religious scholars, and former Hasidic community members, the movie draws a comprehensive map of the region's social terrain.

Viewers are privy to the clashing views and understand the stakeholders' motivations, from the Hasidic community striving to preserve their cultural heritage and original ways of life to the neighboring communities resisting the spreading influence that threatens their local norms and way of life.

The narrative of City of Joel is structured around a pivotal municipal caucus and following vote, which is aimed at addressing the divisive issue of land expansion. The film deftly divides its runtime between the tale of this enthralling local election and the broader exposition of the Kiryas Joel community's idiosyncratic lifestyle, placing their struggle in the context of America's broader culture wars.

Beyond politics, the film offers intimate insights into the inhabitants' lifestyle. Viewers are offered glimpses of the daily lives of Kiryas Joel's residents, where religion shapes every facet of life, from the mundane to the significant. The documentary provides a profound glimpse into an insular community that maintains an obstinate and proud detachment from the influence of the outside world, adhering to their distinct way of life.

One of the film's greatest strengths is its respect for its subjects, showing sympathy for both sides while maintaining a degree of objectivity that allows the story to unfold without feeling manipulative or judgemental. The filmmakers thread a delicate line, delivering a deep exposition of a unique American community with complex issues without verging into a judgmental or overly simplistic narrative.

The movie City of Joel ultimately offers a compelling portrait of a remarkable community grappling with the tensions between conformity and diversity, tradition and modernity, separatism and co-existence. It achieves this by focusing on how a small town's struggle might hold the mirror to larger society and the perennial global issues of multiculturalism, coexistence, and the fragile balance between majority and minority rights.

City of Joel is not just about a city's struggle, but it speaks to the broader human condition in the face of deep-seated divisions. The film leaves its audiences to ponder on these universal and relatable themes surrounding community and identity, even beyond the specific context of Kiryas Joel. This multi-faceted examination of a microcosm of American society makes City of Joel a powerful viewing experience.