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American Experience
S26.E8
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The Amish: Shunned

  • Episode aired Feb 4, 2014
  • 1h 53m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
175
YOUR RATING
American Experience (1987)
  • Documentary
  • Biography
  • History
From pbs.org What is it like to be cut off from your faith and your family? The Amish: Shunned follows seven people who have chosen to leave their closed and tightly-knit communities for the... Read allFrom pbs.org What is it like to be cut off from your faith and your family? The Amish: Shunned follows seven people who have chosen to leave their closed and tightly-knit communities for the outside world, knowing they can never return. Each has paid deeply for their decision. Es... Read allFrom pbs.org What is it like to be cut off from your faith and your family? The Amish: Shunned follows seven people who have chosen to leave their closed and tightly-knit communities for the outside world, knowing they can never return. Each has paid deeply for their decision. Estranged from loved ones, these former Amish find themselves struggling to make their way i... Read all
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
175
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Callie T. Wiser
  • Writer
    • Callie T. Wiser
  • Stars
    • Saloma Furlong
    • Anna
    • Naomi Kramer
Top credits
  • Director
    • Callie T. Wiser
  • Writer
    • Callie T. Wiser
  • Stars
    • Saloma Furlong
    • Anna
    • Naomi Kramer
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 5User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos

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    Top cast

    Edit
    Saloma Furlong
    • Self - Former Amishas Self - Former Amish
    Anna
    • Self - Amish Outcastas Self - Amish Outcast
    Naomi Kramer
    • Self - Former Amishas Self - Former Amish
    Levi Shetler
    • Self - Former Amishas Self - Former Amish
    Jan Edwards
    • Self - Former Amishas Self - Former Amish
    Paul Edwards
    • Self - Former Amishas Self - Former Amish
    Joe Keim
    • Self - Former Amishas Self - Former Amish
    Bart Fletcher
    • Dylan O' Gradyas Dylan O' Grady
    • Director
      • Callie T. Wiser
    • Writer
      • Callie T. Wiser
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    Storyline

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    User reviews5

    Review
    Top review
    3/10
    Stark and somber...too much so.
    This documentary is about folks who have left the Amish and who have, as a result, become shunned. In other words, now that they no longer follow their church's teachings, their families act as if they are dead! The show consists of interviews with several ex- Amish* and many of the interviews are done without showing the actual person who you hear talking (due, most likely, because Amish believe it's wrong to be filmed).

    This might just be one of the toughest episodes of "The American Experience" to watch. I've seen many dozen episodes and cannot recall one like this one. The problem is that the show is the most somber and stark one they have made...and it seems to go on and on and on (it's much longer than the 60 minutes listed on IMDb). Much of this is due to the subject matter and how depressed many of these ex-Amish seem. But I also think some life could have been infused into the show by inserting more incidental music, shortening many of the interviews and THINKING about how the viewer will be receiving the show and tailoring the show more to a LIVING audience!

    Generally, I find myself giving the average "American Experience" show a score of 8 or 9....I love them. But this one is just too poorly made to make it all that enjoyable or useful. A dull and amazingly uninvolving presentation. Too bad, as I noticed much of the show was shot very close to my house--in Sarasota Florida.

    *The term Amish is confusing as it can either refer to the Quakers (members of the Society of Friends) or Mennonites. In general, the Mennonites are less strict and are much less likely to shun anyone. I wish the show had made this more clear, as Mennonites get a bit of a black eye with this show.
    helpful•1
    7
    • planktonrules
    • May 12, 2015

    Details

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    • Release date
      • February 4, 2014 (United States)
    • Language
      • English
    • Filming locations
      • Bethel Baptist Church, Savannah, Ohio, USA
    • Production companies
      • Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)
      • WGBH
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 53 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 16:9 HD

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