Unorthodox

At its core, Unorthodox is a story of redemption and emancipation, but composed of unconvincing model situations and pushed forward by irritating coincidences (a chance encounter with a friendly musician in a café, a chance encounter with the friendly director of a conservatory, chance encounters of many other characters in Berlin, a city of nearly four million people...). Standing opposite the ultra-orthodox community of Hasidic Jews, who, through the lens of the series, live black-and-white lives filled with suffering and without a hint of joy (and are hypocrites indulging in alcohol and gambling), is the ultra-liberal, multicultural, lavishly colourful Berlin, where everyone immediately accepts the main heroine, a stranger with an unknown past, with open arms. She becomes a great friend of a motley crew of conservatory student practically from one day to the next. Among Berliners, there are no negative, unempathetic, selfish characters who would not lend a helping hand to the young woman. Conversely, everyone in New York is against her. There are mostly only caricatures on both sides. The protagonist is an enigmatic figure. She says of herself that she is different, but we never get a chance to find out what makes her different. We see her either during Jewish rituals and in the context of her marriage, when she cannot be herself, or in a completely new environment, where she cannot be herself yet. The conditions from which she runs away are exposed too late. The first episodes thus lack urgency. It is not clear what is at stake and what is a threat to her. Her pursuers just desperately wander around Berlin rather than seeking her step by step. The result is numerous bland scenes without tension or any considerable storytelling value. Despite the large number of randomly incorporated flashbacks, the narrative is straightforward and takes a predictable course without surprises. I can imagine this as a dense two-hour drama that would focus on this sensitive topic and be driven forward by Shira Haas’s acting skill. In its existing form, it is a drawn-out, hard-to-believe fairy tale. (2020-09-01)

One of the (many) paradoxes of the Jewish religion is that Chasidic Judaism, which we consider to be the "genuine" ultra-orthodox concept of faith, is actually a relatively modern phenomenon in Jewish history, as it emerged only in the first third of the 18th century, thus having a history of approximately 300 years. The story does not necessarily apply only to radically conservative Jewish movements, given that a similar series could easily be made in a Muslim or conservative fundamentalist Christian environment, not to mention the hundreds of different religious sects. The theme is strong, but I see several significant pitfalls that make me stay grounded. The American storyline is interesting, describing the bizarre relationship of Chasidic community members with the outside world and with each other. However, it could have been further developed, as the four-part series is actually too short to fully encompass the attractive setting for the viewer, the pace is more than tepid, and above all, in the middle two episodes, you get the feeling that some editing should have come into play. In contrast, the European storyline is downright naive and condensed, as the processes that the protagonist of the story actually had to go through realistically took years, and here you see an amazing transformation in just a few days of her stay in Berlin. In such a case, you are not fighting against lawyers or hostile community members, but against what has been ingrained in your mind since childhood and what has shaped you. The taboos are actually inside you, and it is extremely difficult to cross them. I think Unorthodox did not succeed in getting close to that aspect. Personally, I think that if the series had been truly adapted from the short story without unnecessary modifications, it would have been more interesting and, above all, more truthful. The actress in the main role also bothered me a bit, as if she had just stepped away from filming a tragic story of dying from leukemia or tuberculosis, or perhaps from a concentration camp environment. The last criticism is directed at the portrayal of the supporting roles as caricatures. This primarily applies to the husband and his failed cousin. Overall impression: 55%. (2020-06-13)

The protagonist Esther is torn between the Orthodox world bound by tradition and a multitude of rigid rules in one of New York's Jewish neighbourhoods on the one hand and the free world of artists in Berlin full of unlimited possibilities on the other. I liked the plot layering of the miniseries, in which we follow the fate of Esti in two spatiotemporal planes that intersect at the end. I have some basic understanding of the Jews and their culture, but it was enlightening to broaden my horizons a bit more and peek under the hood of the traditional world and its customs, which were at times slightly shocking. Aside from the dramatic storyline, the miniseries also offers a few laugh-out-loud moments, like the Jewish sex education and Jews vs. technology. All in all, a rewarding and very entertaining three and a half hours. (2020-04-03)