It’s difficult to unpack how I feel about Unorthodox. The newest addition to Netflix’s growing collection of content concerning Ultra-Orthodox Haredi Jews, after titles such as Shtisel and One of Us, it’s a four-episode miniseries about the escape of a woman named Esty (Shira Haas) from an uncomfortable marriage in the reclusive Satmar Hasidic sect in Brooklyn. Fleeing to Berlin, she befriends a diverse group of music students at a consortium, going on a journey of self-discovery and learning more about the outside world in the process. However, her husband Yanky (Amit Rahav), and his somewhat schmucky cousin Moishe (Jeff Wilbusch) are not far behind, sent by the rabbi to try to bring her and her unborn child back to the community. It gets its inspiration from the book Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots, the autobiography of Deborah Feldman, though it’s important to note that the whole plot in Berlin is original to the Netflix series.
First, let’s get some stuff out of the way. Unorthodox is a high-quality production, living up to the standards we’ve come to expect from Netflix projects. The plot is gripping, combining the elements of a thriller with a personal drama, and the acting is excellent. In particular, kudos to Shira Haas, who manages to do a nuanced portrayal of Esty’s delicate innocence partnered with her rebellious spirit. Also, the use of Yiddish, a Germanic language once spoken throughout the Jewish world and now only heard in Haredi Jewish communities, is groundbreaking, and it was a real treat to experience it on screen. Entertainmentwise, Unorthodox is a success.
For me, the main problem Unorthodox has is the same problem I find in “kosher-style” Jewish delis. These are restaurants that advertise themselves as Jewish and serve traditional Jewish fare, but don’t adhere to Kashruth (Jewish dietary laws). Because my family would never eat meat without kosher certification, I and other kosher-keeping Jews can’t go to these places. In other words, it’s a representation of my culture, but it’s not really meant for me or people like me to enjoy.
I get the same feeling when I watch Unorthodox. The intended audience for the series, as shown by the portrayal of Berlin as a progressive, multicultural haven, is probably young millennials who have often gone through similar rebellions against the values of their parents. The Hasidic culture that Esty is from is merely used as a prop to deliver a message of finding one’s own way in a close-minded world. While other reviewers have called it a “sensitive portrayal” of Ultra-Orthodoxy, I felt it was pretty black and white free-thinking-young-people-good/old-fashioned-religious-people-bad. I have read numerous complaints from commentators who come from this community saying that although the rituals and traditions are mostly accurate, they are stripped of the warmth that they remember. Jewish practices aren’t contextualized or explained and are left to feel alien or other. The show doesn’t inform or educate, just condemns. It portrays the sexism and intolerance of the culture without exploring it fully, good and bad, in order to appeal to today’s above-it-all youth.
So, would I recommend watching Unorthodox? Yes, but just keep in mind that it’s a biased portrayal, and the people who made it clearly have an agenda.
Photo courtesy of Netflix.
