#Unorthodox: Review.
#UnorthodoxNetflix
/1 https://twitter.com/AiryManning/status/1238173983398408195

I approach this with some reservation; it's clear that this series has been very popular both inside and outside of my community. I will also say that I'm not a member of Satmar, the community depicted. /2

Although I was raised strictly religious, Satmar has a very different dynamic, and the nuances are not really appreciated by outsiders. /3

None of my criticism stems from any sense of "trying to prevent the author from telling her story" or "protecting #Satmar from criticism". /4

On the contrary I support everyone being able to tell their story and I have strong criticisms of many aspects of Satmar, specifically in about control, power and extremism. /5

I also want to say that I have separate criticisms relating to the book, however, the mini-series diverges from the book and therefore must be treated as separate #fiction. /6

Some criticism which has been levelled at critics is that of "shutting down the author's voice" - in that this series is fictional I do not think that is valid. /7

I regret that I didn't write this immediately when it was fresh in my mind but I'll have a go anyway! I'm not going to summarise the storyline this time as that info is available online. /8

My main criticism of the series is that the Satmar community is shown as a unmitigated, undifferentiated mass of badness. I do not believe this is true of any community on the planet. /9

I have met many incredible Satmar women who are accomplished, intelligent and warm, despite the many barriers put in their way. I *do* think Satmar in many aspects is led by extremist ideology, but the reality of the community is also a lot of warmth and support. /10

Clothing and homes: that this community has been styled as completely ugly and lacking materialism is really inaccurate and shows me that the research was not adequate. /11

There were also many small inaccuracies / weird things in the show (like, the very young looking Rebbe sitting around with the family, and the wrong lighting for Shabbos, the transparent mechitzah (separation) at the wedding and other things that jarred.) /12

I don't speak Yiddish so maybe this is unfair, but the Yiddish didn't sound right to me, although I think actors having learned it is an incredible achievement. This came across in specific bits of the show. I'd be interested in hearing from Yiddish speakers on this. /13

This might be my own personality: I didn't find the very short leap from being entrenched in Satmar to eating ham and sleeping with a stranger, believable. In this sense I think the series would have benefitted from being much longer, with more development of the characters. /14

I would have liked to see the interesting aspect of her having moved to Berlin of all places, further explored. Again, for this, it needed to have been longer. /15

I had been so looking forward to this show - the trailer moved me to tears, so perhaps my disappointment is greater. /16

In short, Unorthodox was an incredible opportunity to tell a story, which I feel was missed. I wish they had spoken to many more exSatmar (I guess it would be difficult to speak to current members of Satmar, although I don't know if it would have been impossible). /17

The cast and crew were secular Israeli and German and it showed. They didn't delve enough into this unique community and the result is one-dimensional. By not representing the full richness of this community, Esty's story is also impoverished. /18

With all of this criticism I was still gripped by the series and enjoyed it. Shira Haas is talented and expressive and I enjoy watching her. There were some really moving moments in the show. When she dropped her wig into the lake, I cried. /19

That bit with Yanky Shapiro and his peyos made me cry too. (although not sure if the significance would be fully understood by a wider audience.) /20

The baseline story - about someone who doesn't fit in with their religious community - I connected with on a deep level. And despite my comments about the Yiddish, I enjoyed seeing a #Yiddish language series on #Netflix, and I hope to see more. /21

@FriedaVizel is the tour guide mentioned in "the making of" and a former member of Satmar, she has written about the show as well and her comments about detail will be far more accurate than mine. You can read her tweet by tweet comments here: /22 https://twitter.com/FriedaVizel/status/1243926454108401665

For an excellent read about a different but also insular Chassic community, Skver, read the outstanding memoir "All Who Go Do Not Return" by @shdeen. /23

It's a beautiful and heartbreaking book which wrestles with the reality of leaving one's family and community behind, and the serious problems in that community, without representing it as one-dimensionally monstrous, and told with sensitivity. /24

And because I love it so much, please watch #Shtisel on Netflix, which is beautiful. /25

#Shtisel depicts a different community, not Satmar. Also, again it's not my community, so perhaps I've got it wrong, but as far as I know it is really more nuanced and accurate and the people in it are casted as human beings rather than stereotypes. /26

Please read this outstanding and sensitive analysis by @FrimetG. https://twitter.com/FrimetG/status/1250952905886248963

Please read this essay by the insightful @PosenIzzy (I wish it were longer.) #UnorthodoxNetflix https://twitter.com/JewishNewsUK/status/1252524042944499713?s=19