Unorthodoxly brilliant

Unorthodox is a Netflix mini-series that aired end of March 2020. It consists of four gripping episodes that leave you wanting more. The series is based on Deborah Feldsman´s autobiography and the main character Esther Shapiro, also known as Esty, is being played by Shira Haas. Shira Haas is doing an amazing job playing the role of ‘Esty’, which is one of the reasons why the series feels so authentic. She hasn´t had any big acting roles before this, but I am hopeful we will see more of her in the future.  

You find yourself wanting to step in and help

Shira plays a Jewish woman who tries to escape from her arranged marriage and the Ultra Orthodox community in Williamsburg, New York. Throughout the series, not only do you get to see Esty´s point of view of an arranged marriage, but you also get introduced to Jewish customs and traditions. This can be interesting for people who are not already familiar with Jewish traditions. It is also important to mention that it is the first Netflix series with Yiddish as a spoken original language.

The storyline of the show is so powerful that it itself is a reason to give this series a go.

You get left with a mix of emotions throughout! It makes you furious, upset, concerned, joyful and hopeful at the same time. You find yourself wanting to step in and help Esty and once the series is over you realise you yearn to know more about her life.

The scenes are shot in both New York City and Berlin, Germany by a brilliant casting team. Netflix offers a separate backstage clip where the directors, writers and the cast are telling about the process of filming the series. When watching the series, you realise how thoroughly the team worked to make this series as authentic as possible. Once you press the play button, you will not regret it. It is definitely one of this spring’s “must watch” series!