A criminally overlooked drama series has captivated audiences with its intimate portrayal of an underrepresented religious community, delving into its nuances and contradictions with remarkable depth.
Drawing comparisons to the dystopian hit The Handmaid’s Tale, this series similarly examines a woman’s struggle for survival within an intricate belief system, handled with exceptional care and precision.
The drama, inspired by and loosely adapted from Deborah Feldman’s 2012 memoir, Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots, was brought to life by creators Anna Winger and Alexa Karolinski, with Maria Schrader at the helm as director.
Available to stream on Netflix, it marks the platform’s debut series predominantly in Yiddish, whilst also weaving between English and German throughout.
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Unorthodox launched on the streaming service on March 26, 2020, subsequently earning an impressive eight Primetime Emmy Award nominations including Outstanding Limited Series, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series, Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, and Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series – the latter of which it secured, becoming the first German production ever to claim an Emmy, reports the Express.
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Led by Shira Haas, with strong support from Amit Rahav and Jeff Wilbusch completing the principal trio, Unorthodox has earned widespread praise for its stellar performances. Alex Reid, Ronit Asheri, Gera Sandler, and Dina Doron feature amongst the broader ensemble.
The official synopsis of the drama describes it as a “Story of a young ultra-Orthodox Jewish woman who flees her arranged marriage and religious community to start a new life abroad.”
Boasting an impressive 96% approval rating from critics on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, this gripping four-part mini-series has received widespread acclaim, not only from critics but also from viewers.
