Unorthodox

The deeply moving true story of Esty, a young woman who never felt like she fit in with her extremely structured Jewish Orthodox community in New York City. Viewed as an "orphan" by her immediate family, Esty is very close with her maternal Grandmother, who seems to be her only true friend after being abandoned by her birth mother, who "shamed" the family by marrying outside of her faith.

The story begins at different points, swinging back and forth from the recent past, where a "Matchmaker" arranged for Esty's marriage to the similarly awkward son of a jeweler, to the present, where Esty flees to Berlin, Germany with virtually only the clothes on her body. For the first time, Esty experiences a world of progress', progressive ideas, and progressive ways of life. A group of young musicians enter Esty's life and change everything. - Will an abandoned husband and the angry extended family accept Esty's "unorthodox" life choices? Not without a fight!

As a native to Berlin, this story is deeply touching my heart. I see in Esty's story elements of my own family history, and the history of this world. It gives me hope that we will do more than "never forget", but continue to grow as decent human beings, to get ever closer to the potentials of humanity, living peacefully to enjoy the one life we have, and to contribute to the joy of others. There is so much more that unites us than sets us apart. As a television drama series, "Unorthodox" is among the finest I've been privileged to see.

Unorthodox is literally spellbinding. When I started the first episode, I had to watch them all, on the spot. I couldn't tear myself away. That never happens. Shira Haas plays Esty, and she is simply amazing. This story sheds light on the mysterious orthodox Jewish tribes or communities in what must be quite a realistic manner. It's fascinating, but viewers quickly identify with Esty's feelings of being smothered and of not belonging. One thing the film did so very well was bringing the viewer to see what it was like for Esty to experience so many things we take for granted, for the first time, and how those experiences captivate her and make us feel quite lucky to have access to them without a second thought. At the same time, I felt for the community, her tribe... they are different, but that's life. The only thing they are guilty of is making it too difficult for those wishing to leave. I haven't read the book the film is based on but I will now.

This is a very well made movie, breaking through the fiberglass batting insulation of the Hasidic community in Brooklyn, to help us understand the feeling we get when we walk through .

For the month I was there , not one single person of that particular costumed community said as much as a "good day" to me or even made eye contact. I felt like I was in (and in FACT I was in ) a foreign country.

I walked for miles and miles almost every day trying to understand what was giving me this feeling of being a complete alien... I've never been in a community like it in my life before.

It slowly dawned on me that this was the way the culture operates, outsiders are outsiders and there's no way they'll be allowed in.

As I got to the peripheries , close to Prospect Park, the oppressive weight started to lift as the Latino and Italian neighbourhoods smiled back at me and straightened me up.

How can two cultures be so different when they are so close together?

The story told in this series, about a young girl trying to escape the strictures of an arranged marriage, sounds as though it could apply to any of the young Jewish girls I saw pushing strollers with two or three kids hanging on to their apron strings.

It's hard not to be taken aback at the depth of control and the level of obedience imposed on both the men and the women of this sect but it obviously works for most of them, as the community seems to thrive.(Just look at the Amish Community if you want a reference point)

The acting is just superb and the director manages to evoke sympathy for the naive husband who, in a way, is trapped in the same unhappiness. The girl who plays the lead (Esty) is a wonderful actress who is able to go from beautiful young bride to-be, to a dowdy potential baby factory and back to a free young woman again and she does it convincingly.

The rest of the cast draws us in to the culture in a way that could never happen in real life but in the end you're no closer to understanding why it continues to be so different.

I really enjoyed the story and the portrayals, it has a bittersweet ending and I felt better for having watched it.

As Deborah Feldman said in the Making of Unorthodox, the languages spoken may be foreign to some, but the happenings within the story line are universally understood.

Completely underrated.

Overall I really liked the show, it was interesting to gain a little insight in a world that I'm not familiar with. The acting was really good. But it went down the drain when the story moved to Berlin. The writer changed the story so much that it became a gimmick. Meeting a group of divers people, immediately becoming your best friends, 5 seconds after you get off the plane, is just ridiculous. Especially in contrast to the start of the movie, where the story still felt true. It's a shame, could have been a lot better if they didn't try to add their own spin on the story. Still worth the watch