אַנאָרטאַדאַקס

I recently wrote about The Queen's Gambit in glowing terms. A show that has been rightly acknowledged and credited. There is, however another show on Netflix that has a strong, compelling female protagonist, a show that has received faint praise, a show that is, to put it simply, a masterpiece. it's called Unorthodox

This German-American co production is notable for being The first Netflix series to be primarily in Yiddish, it is inspired by Deborah Feldman's autobiography, Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots. 

The four-part miniseries was created and written by the all female team of Anna Winger, Alexa Karolinski and director  Maria Schrader.

The revelation is in  the lead role where Shia Haas is superb and runs Anya Taylor-Joy close as the standout TV actress of recent years.

Haas plays Esty, a 19-year-old Jewish woman, who is struggling to find joy in her arranged marriage and her life in general as part of an ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in New York’s Williamsburg area of Brooklyn

She seeks an escape from her conformity by travelling to Berlin; home to her estranged mother. It is here that she discovers life outside of the confines of her community, which leads to a rejection of the beliefs forced upon her previously.

Her husband and his sinister cousin travel to Germany to, in effect, bring her back. The story unfolds quietly but with the inner fury of Etsy's frustration. 

When religion is involved controversy is not far away and there has been some discourse as to the accuracy of the portrayal of the Hasidic lifestyle in Unorthodox, but it's not a documentary and the underlying theme could easily apply to a number of situations and circumstances. Besides which, discussion is not a bad thing.

What Unorthodox is is a story of discovery, rebirth and  courage. As an insight into a world that few of us will have fully experienced it raises some interesting issues about faith and the place of the women within. Above all it is a totally compelling tale extremely well told.