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Unorthodox

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 11 Critic Reviews

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85

USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 46 Ratings

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6.7

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6.7	Your Score
6.7	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 46 Ratings

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Unorthodox

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Unorthodox

Series Details & Credits

Netflix | Release Date: March 26, 2020

Summary: The four-part drama inspired by Deborah Feldman's memoir, Esther "Esty" Shapiro (Shira Haas) flees her Hasidic Brooklyn home for Berlin, while her husband Yanky (Amit Rahav) and his cousin Moische (Jeff Wilbusch) seek to bring her back.

Genre(s): Drama

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Recent Episodes

tbd
S1:E4. Part 4
Air Date: March 26, 2020
tbd
S1:E3. Part 3
Air Date: March 26, 2020
tbd
S1:E2. Part 2
Air Date: March 26, 2020

See all Seasons and Episodes

Metascore

85

Positive:

10

Mixed:

1

Negative:

0

Critic Reviews

100

Newsday

Robert Levin

Mar 27, 2020

Season 1 Review: "Unorthodox" is an achievement of searing power and grace, attuned to big, sweeping emotions and small, observational moments in equal measure. ... This is one of the major achievements in the history of Netflix original productions. You cannot miss it. Read full review

95

Primetimer

Aaron Barnhart

Mar 27, 2020

Season 1 Review: Unorthodox works. It feels like an immersive documentary about a woman who comes of age while escaping the oppressive religious community that has defined her entire life. And a big reason for that is a superb performance by Shira Haas. Read full review

91

IndieWire Eric Kohn

Mar 26, 2020

Season 1 Review: All along, “Unorthodox” builds a steady emotional tapestry that culminates in its bracing finale scenes, when the stakes at hand matter less than the way each character processes their decisions. Yet none of those circumstances would hit too hard if not for the undercurrent of authenticity brought by Haas at the center of nearly ever scene. The 24-year-old actress is an instant sensation who commands every moment she’s on screen. Read full review

90

The New York Times

James Poniewozik

Mar 25, 2020

Season 1 Review: What unfolds is a story of personal discovery with the intensity of a spy thriller. ... Haas is a phenomenon, expressive and captivating. Read full review

80

Decider

Joel Keller

Mar 26, 2020

Season 1 Review: We wish Unorthodox didn’t have the menacing specter of Esty’s estranged husband (more accurately, his family) interfering with her story of discovery, but the story is well-told despite the thriller aspect. Read full review

80

The Hollywood Reporter

Daniel Fienberg

Mar 25, 2020

Season 1 Review: There's a tremendous intimacy here as, sometimes in a very literal sense, you're being let behind a curtain. And in that intimacy, buoyed by language code-switching from Yiddish to English to German, Unorthodox finds a lot of humanity, even in the characters who are surely villains. That plus the vulnerable-then-fierce performance from Haas allowed me to put aside other reservations and find fascination in this occasionally wobbly, often inspiring story. Read full review

50

RogerEbert.com Nick Allen

Mar 27, 2020

Season 1 Review: While "Unorthodox" has rich cultural detail in presenting this community back in Williamsburg, the tragic note it hits remains the same. In this story, religion is presented as a joyless life sentence. That’s an entirely welcome depiction whether one agrees with it or not, it’s more that it flattens out the story when it comes to making a challenging world or set of characters, and makes Esty's liberation all the more obvious. Read full review

SEE ALL 11 REVIEWS

Write a Review

6.7

User Reviews

9

Allanbaxter

Apr 13, 2020

I really enjoyed this four-parter. It kept up entertained and the acting is top-notch.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

8

JEsFsF

Apr 4, 2020

What's worse than peer pressure? Everybody pressure! There's a lot to love here. If you like peeking into different worlds, you have a couple here. If you're find charm in cultural quirks... If you have empathy for the vulnerable, this will stress you out. If you admire bravery, EstherWhat's worse than peer pressure? Everybody pressure! There's a lot to love here. If you like peeking into different worlds, you have a couple here. If you're find charm in cultural quirks... If you have empathy for the vulnerable, this will stress you out. If you admire bravery, Esther will inspire you. Control? Compassion? Struggle. Transcendence?

The story is great, the acting is great, the camera beautiful and intimate, the direction excellent.

Just under four hours allows you deep in, but keeps things from bogging down.

Really wonderful.… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

7

OlivierPiel

May 1, 2020

The story is nothing new, a young adult escaping its conservative roots. But it's done in such a gentle fashion, going hand in hand with Berlin's spirit of naïve openness, carefree teenage rebelious freedom, that it doesn't fall (too much) into pathos. "Berlin, Icke liebe Dir" (wink wink).

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

6

Tony1984

Jan 6, 2021

Where it’s good, it's excellent 10/10. The portrayal of the Hasidic in Williamsburg was about as real as you can get. Where it faltered was the fairy tale in Berlin. It all seems a bit made up and convenient. Plot holes and cringy performances on behalf of the hip lib Euro friends grated.Where it’s good, it's excellent 10/10. The portrayal of the Hasidic in Williamsburg was about as real as you can get. Where it faltered was the fairy tale in Berlin. It all seems a bit made up and convenient. Plot holes and cringy performances on behalf of the hip lib Euro friends grated. Still entertaining and enjoyable overall. The physical appearance of the lead actress and her devotion to her role was exemplary. The character of Moshe is most fascinating. I speak a little German and was surprised at myself I could follow a lot of the Yiddish. I’m giving points for that.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

4

Tocy

Apr 20, 2022

The problem is not that this is obviously a progressive feminist suffering-porn. The problem is that about half of the actors do an absolutely abhorrent job with their deliveries. A lot of people here praise the depiction of the orthodox community in the series, which is fine, except theThe problem is not that this is obviously a progressive feminist suffering-porn. The problem is that about half of the actors do an absolutely abhorrent job with their deliveries. A lot of people here praise the depiction of the orthodox community in the series, which is fine, except the lighting and audio presentation in these scenes make them look like absolute cuckoo lunatics from the get go. It would've been nice to see a gradual transition, analogue to the changes going on in the head of the protagonist. By the way, the show fails to convince me that the protagonist actually went through any sort of character development. Esty starts out as an angry, hurt and anxious young woman and by the end she stays the exact same angry, hurt and anxious young woman. And to the end, a bit of a personal, political gripe. Can we PLEASE stop glorifying being grotesquely ugly? By the end of the show, Esty looks like a bowl of barfed up green pea pottage and receives multiple affirmations on how beautiful she became. Stop it. It's just as unhealthy as promoting unreasonable beauty standards.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

3

kmas88

Feb 12, 2021

Compelling story and decent cast, but nowadays I tend to research any 'based on true events' shows/movies I watch and oh boy was this one conveniently changed for the purposes of telling an even more 'compelling' story than the real deal. I mean they made evil people of orthodox Jews whoCompelling story and decent cast, but nowadays I tend to research any 'based on true events' shows/movies I watch and oh boy was this one conveniently changed for the purposes of telling an even more 'compelling' story than the real deal. I mean they made evil people of orthodox Jews who actually weren't that bad. Yes orthodoxy creates isolationism, but FFS nobody actually ever chased her with guns to Germany...like nobody...stop diminishing women's successes by adding BS to real great stories.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

0

Nyjets1080

Apr 23, 2020

This show is terrible and I can't see what the hype is as it is completely boring and has such an awful presentation.

3 of 5 users found this helpful32

SEE ALL 10 REVIEWS

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Seasons & Episodes

85

Series Overview
Season 1

85
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: March 26, 2020
- tbd
  S1:E4. Part 4
  Air Date: March 26, 2020
- tbd
  S1:E3. Part 3
  Air Date: March 26, 2020
- tbd
  S1:E2. Part 2
  Air Date: March 26, 2020
- tbd
  S1:E1. Part 1
  Air Date: March 26, 2020