Reviewing Rewind – Recollecting for Healing – Top

Trauma manifests itself in different ways for different people. For Sasha Joseph Neulinger, a victim of severe sexual abuse since he was a toddler, it became internalized, only bubbling to the surface in the most frightening of ways. Disturbing drawings, angry outbursts, violence against himself and others, and other signs all point to a boy living a tortured existence. Now, years later, Sasha has chosen to confront his past nightmares with Rewind, an incredibly personal, heartbreaking, and courageous endeavor that puts the puzzle pieces of his childhood together in order to come to terms with it.

Rewind features interviews with Sasha’s immediate family – his mother, father, and younger sister – as well as his childhood psychiatrist and the detective and district attorney that took on his case. But it’s mostly comprised of old home videos shot by his father, who in one clip declares that “this is the world’s most documented family”. From the day Sasha was born, his dad was filming moments big and small, determined to capture as much as he could of his son’s existence. The original intent was to immortalize happy times; looking back, it’s impossible to not think of the chilling truth behind the smiles and laughter.

The documentary withholds information for as long as it can, taking us through the early years of Sasha’s life and revealing how he slowly began to change. We see him go from performing exceptionally high in school to having behavioral issues and struggling academically. As the abuse – the full extent of which is never quite disclosed – goes on, Sasha gets worse and worse. We can see in the footage how bright and present of a child he was, and how he turns into an angry and suicidal bully as he grapples with what’s been happening to him.

As the film progresses and more gruesome information is given, the picture becomes clearer. Rewind is ultimately a story about healing, facing fears, and coming to terms with past traumas, and how that trauma can be a vicious, generational cycle. Sasha isn’t the only one in the family to suffer abuse, nor is he the first. However, as disturbing and upsetting of a story as this is, it’s also a portrait of remarkable courage. Going back through the family videos and creating this film is certainly an act of bravery in itself, but Sasha’s documentary shows that he was willing to face his demons while he was still a child, even in the midst of his mental anguish.

Once Sasha is motivated to speak out and share what’s been happening to him, the case creates a media firestorm that tears his family apart. One abuser is a prominent public figure, with powerful lawyers and enough money to stall the case for years. Yet the young boy persists, against insurmountable odds, refusing to allow them to get away with what they did to him. Sasha’s case ends up changing the way these sex crimes are dealt with at the judicial level, and helps countless other victims to this day.

There aren’t nearly enough words to accurately describe the bravery on display in Rewind. The film may lack a distinct style, but it more than makes up for it by being immensely personal and vulnerable. Sasha’s candidness about his experiences is astounding, and his story – as heinous as it is – is one with universal appeal. Rewind is a perfect example of how to turn something dark and grisly into something positive and hopeful.

Review screener provided