A Stranger Among Us Page #2

Synopsis: Detective Emily Eden is a tough New York City cop forced to go undercover to solve a puzzling murder. Her search for the truth takes her into a secret world of unwritten law and unspoken power, a world where the only way out is deeper in!
Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance
Director(s): Sidney Lumet
Production: Buena Vista Pictures
  1 win & 3 nominations.
 
IMDB:
5.7
Rotten Tomatoes:
23%
PG-13
Year:
1992
110 min
486 Views


It's in the Torah, the Bible. It's a law.

You're not supposed to shave there.

How come?

Well, the Torah doesn't give us

a reason. But the Rabbis teach us...

in ancient times idol worshipers

used to cut their hair in

that area as part of their cult.

We are forbidden to imitate them.

Yeah, well, whatever.

Shave, change of wardrobe and

Yaakov's got himself a whole new life.

- We already told you --

- Yeah, I know what you told me.

But I got experience, okay?

I know human nature.

You will pardon me,

but you do not know our nature.

With all due respect, sir,

inside every honest man...

there is a thief trying to get out.

You're positive?

When you've seen

what I've seen in this life, okay?

- When you came here

was the alarm on or off?

- Off.

- Is that typical?

- No, not at all. We keep

it on all the time.

When somebody comes we switch it off,

then we turn it right back on.

- So Yaakov turned off the alarm

because he knew who was coming?

- Yes, I suppose.

- And no one you've talked to

saw Yaakov leave?

- No one.

Yeah, well, nobody just vanishes,

especially if they're hauling

a girl's best friend.

Then again, maybe he never

even left the building.

I think it would be better to take

Mr. and Mrs. Klausman out of here.

- Dayan ha-emmes.

- Omein.

- Dayan ha-emmes.

- Omein.

[ Crowd Praying in Hebrew ]

Eden, visitor.

-What's new and exciting?

-Your detective has been questioning me.

Everything he asks-- He's making

implications about Yaakov,

things which are not possible.

Oh.

Well, you got any ideas?

Any new information maybe?

- No.

- Oh.

- So you wanna know what I see?

- Certainly.

Yaakov knew his killer.

Yaakov let the killer in.

- It's impossible.

- Why?

Yaakov would only let in someone he

knew. Yaakov only knows Hassidim.

- We don't kill each other.

We don't kill anybody.

- First time for everything.

- You're wrong.

- Don't say that. You wouldn't

believe the things I've seen.

So you keep telling us.

You don't trust

a female cop, do you?

- Actually, the Kabbalah says

that women are on a higher--

- The what?

Kabbalah,Jewish mysticism.

It's very intricate, very esoteric.

It concerns itself with creation,

transmigration, meditation --

I bet it's from California, right?

Oh no, it was from before

the beginning of time.

Most of us don't study it because

it presents great difficulty in areas --

The point?

Yes, I'm sorry. Anyway,

the Kabbalah says...

that women are on a higher

spiritual plane than men.

Therefore, it would be foolish

of me not to trust you.

So you think this spiritual stuff is like

required experience to catch a killer?

Well, a higher spiritual

plane implies sensitivity...

which must be very

important for a detective.

Yeah. Yeah,

we positively cultivate it.

What I really wanted

to tell you --

Yaakov was a special person.

He... helped people.

People came to us because they felt lost

in the world and overwhelmed.

He had patience and trust.

Yaakov was my friend. We were

practically brought up together.

Would you like, um, a chocolate eclair?

I think that's what it is.

No, I can't. It's not kosher.

Go ahead, cheat a little.

I won't tell.

- What, you never break the rules?

- Of course not.

Never ever?

- No.

- Wow.

You guys got a lot of rules?

Actually, there's 613 rules

or commandments;

248 positive commandments

and 365 negative ones.

No sh*t.

Guess you're not used

to a woman like me, huh?

Is anybody?

- Let me give you a ride.

- No, really, it's okay.

What, we can't be alone?

Right? A rule?

[ Chuckling ] How about this?

We roll the car windows down, right.

That way all of Brooklyn will see us

and so then we won't be alone.

You know, Detective Eden,

you have a fine mind.

Not many people would have picked up

on the subtle logic of the situation.

- Like my mind, huh?

- Yes, it's very impressive.

- [ Chuckling ]

- What?

- Nothing.

- What is it?

- [ Clearing Throat ]

I like your mind too.

- Thank you.

I need to live here among you.

Somebody that you know, somebody

who you trust is Yaakov's killer.

The only way that I'm gonna catch this

person is if I'm as close to you as he is.

An unusual request.

How many of you work

in the diamond district?

Many, many.

Well, if they can get to one of you,

then they can get to all of you.

Do you understand

what I'm saying?

We are in danger.

Every single one of you.

This murder, it reeks inside job.

Inside job? Someone familiar

with Yaakov's every move...

someone very close to him...

someone who knew

he was going to work...

someone Yaakov trusted

and let into the office.

Leah?

- Excuse me.

- Oh, please. We are being very rude.

Listen to me very carefully.

While you are with us,

you must respect our customs.

My daughter will assist you...

and my son.

Leah, let me take that suitcase.

Emily, no , I can manage.

Is my outfit okay? My hair?

It's very becoming.

But I mean on the Hassidic scale

of sexiness, how do I rate?

Come on, you can be

brutally honest with me. I can take it.

Detective Eden, I want you to know

something. We are not quaint or exotic.

We are not cute little characters.

- You are.

- What?

-Cute.

-Please don't say things like that to me.

It's not proper?

- Please don't look at me like that.

- Like what?

- You know.

- Sorry!

[ Engine Starting ]

[ Leah ] Emily, we have to pay our

respects at the Klausmans.

Come with us?

[ Indistinct Chatter ]

Sol zait brengn elft.

It'll be all right,

Duvid.

- Sol zait brengn elft.

- A sheinem dank.

Mara, Yaakov loved you

very much.

- We all do.

- It's not right.

It's just not right.

The mirrors are covered...

because you're not supposed

to be concerned with vanity

when you're in mourning;

and the rip in the cloth shows you're

not concerned with looking attractive;

and not wearing shoes

is because in ancient times...

leather shoes were

a sign of wealth.

And when somebody dies, Emily,

we're no longer wealthy.

Wow.

What?

I don't know. You people...

you really care

about each other.

Of course.

All you have to say is

you're "ba'al teshuvah."

- Ba'al teshuvah.

- Good.

It means one who has returned.

After that, no more questions.

Huh. Do you get

a lot of these returnees?

People look for spiritual nourishment.

They come and they go.

It's not so easy being Hassidic

if you're not born into it.

- Leah, can I ask you something?

- Yes, please.

What is it, the Rebbe?

Is that like a Rabbi?

It's more than a Rabbi.

A Hassidic Rebbe is a great presence.

He's kinda old to be

your father, isn't he?

The Rebbe adopted us. Our parents

were killed in a car accident.

What about the Rebbe's family?

His wife and children

died in the camps.

- Camps?

- The Rebbe was at Auschwitz.

I can't believe what I said to him.

- Can I ask you something?

- Sure.

- Why did you become a police...

- Person?

Person.

My old man was a cop.

So, you had no choice.

Leah, I do what I want to,

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Robert J. Avrech

Robert J. Avrech is an American screenwriter whose works include the 1984 film Body Double (with Brian De Palma) and A Stranger Among Us (1992). He won an Emmy Award for his screenplay The Devil's Arithmetic, based on the young adult novel by Jane Yolen.He is also the author of the children's novel The Hebrew Kid and the Apache Maiden, and the memoir How I Married Karen, and publishes personal and political writings on his blog, Seraphic Press. From 2009 through mid-2012, he was a writer for Breitbart News. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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