15 Best Netflix Originals Of 2020 So Far - Ranked
1. Unorthodox
Unorthodox is a miniseries that is four episodes in length, each running at approx. 52 minutes long. It is hard to overstate how gripping this series is and how hard it is not to simply watch all four episodes back to back, thanks, in large part, to the performance by lead actor Shira Haas.
The series is told primarily in Yiddish with subtitles, with more English coming in as the episodes progress. The story is based on the 2012 memoir Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection Of My Hasidic Roots by Deborah Feldman.
It is powerful viewing. The series kicks into life immediately, opening with Etsy's escape from Brooklyn, fleeing to the airport and clearly terrified to be spotted. Though we initially don't know why exactly she has such fear, as the story unfolds it becomes clear that it is not simply a case of oppression.
Unorthodox tells the story of Esty's Hasidic life with respect, while still ensuring that as an audience we are sympathetic to Esty primarily. Her finance, Yanky, is very far from a one dimensional character and is, as it is quickly revealed, a loving man who believes in different things.
This is not the story of Esty's rejection of her beliefs as a whole. Though she pursues her dreams that will take her away from her community, it is not a tale of a woman fleeing God. It is a beautiful and moving portrait of a woman emerging from a shadow placed upon her, stepping into the light of a life that is finally her own.