Parents' Guide to

Unorthodox

By Joyce Slaton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Intense story of a Hasidic woman's journey has some sex.

TV Netflix Drama 2020
Unorthodox Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

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age 14+

Based on 2 parent reviews

wizardortitan
wizardortitan Parent
July 10, 2020
age 15+

Stronger than the BBFC 12 rating implies

Unorthodox was originally rated in the UK using Netflix's self-rating tool, in which it received a 12. This decision was audited by the BBFC, and they upheld the 12 rating. However, this is a decision I disagree with, not only for the sexual references and theme mentioned in the CSM review, but the scenes showing the pair having sex and Esty clearly being in pain until it is stopped. The strongest of these scenes contains thrusting and a visually implied ejaculation. These scenes are more appropriate at the BBFC's '15' category, in my opinion, where strong sex is allowed as part of a larger narrative without genital detail.
Jonathan F.
Jonathan F. Parent of 5-year-old
January 4, 2021
age 13+
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Loosely based on Deborah Feldman's 2012 memoir, Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots, UNORTHODOX tells the story of Esty (Shira Haas), a 19-year-old woman who flees her Orthodox Hasidic community in Brooklyn to make a new life for herself in Berlin. Raised by her loving grandmother (Ronit Asheri), Esty had a happy enough childhood despite the instability of her father (Gera Sandler) and her mother (Alex Reid) defecting from the community. But when the local matchmaker puts her together with Yanky (Amit Rahav) and the two marry, Esty's life begins to narrow unacceptably, particularly when she and Yanky have trouble consummating their marriage and her family members and in-laws begin pressuring her to get pregnant as soon as possible. When circumstances conspire to push Esty's concerns to the limit, she sees no other option than to make a drastic change, and Yanky sees no choice other than to try to locate and bring back his wife with the help of his troubled cousin Moishe (Jeff Wilbusch).

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (4 ):

Shira Haas is extraordinary in this gripping tale of a woman who flees a life that leaves her miserable in favor of a future that's uncertain at best. Unorthodox takes place in a fascinating world that few viewers will have more than a passing familiarity with; just getting an eyeful of its customs -- Esty's wedding, the ritual mikvah she takes before it, the extraordinary shtreimel hats worn by the community's men -- is riveting. But when you add in Esty's story, truly a heroic quest, with an actor like Haas, who shows Esty's every emotion in her great staring lamps of eyes, the effect is positively riveting. From the moment Esty seizes her sneakily collected wad of cash and her identity documents before heading, shaking, out the door, viewers will be with her; the flashbacks to what she's had to endure up until this moment seal the deal.

For though Esty's Satmar Hasidic community is close-knit and often quite loving, the collective trauma of the Holocaust echoes terribly through their modern lives, with young women like Esty married off as soon as possible to become, as one of Esty's new friends in Berlin says, "baby machines." As we soon learn, Esty's marriage was neither brimming with love nor easy on the physical level. And, as she tells that insensitive friend, huge eyes flashing, "I am not a baby machine." But she escaped, right? She was never in prison, Esty says. She left without telling anyone, and now she must find her own way. She understands the good intentions of her community, even as she couldn't handle the oppression. And watching her find her way is nothing short of magical.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about religion and belief systems. Does Unorthodox make Esty's Hasidic community seem strange and unacceptable, or familiar and understandable? What customs took you by surprise? Which seem to serve the interests of the people in the community? Which don't? Is it easy to understand why Esty would leave? What about understanding those who are happy to stay?

  • Who are the villains in this series, if any? Do you understand why characters do what they do? Is there anyone who intentionally acts in a negative and unkind way? Can actions undertaken with good intentions still have negative effects?

  • How do Esty and other characters demonstrate courage and integrity? Why are those important character strengths?

TV Details

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