Netflix's 'Unorthodox' Is Inspired By The True Story Of Deborah Feldman, But It's Not Totally Accurate

Emily Shiffer

April 1, 2020 9:53 PM

Is 'Unorthodox' Based On A True Story?

Netflix's new TV series Unorthodox is inspired by the true story of Deborah Feldman.
She wrote her best-selling memoir of the same name in 2012.
The book and show follow a young woman who leaves her ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in New York to live in Berlin.

Netflix's new four-part dramatic series Unorthodox tells the story of young woman's journey of self-discovery. Esther "Esty" Shapiro (played by actress Shira Haas) leaves the extremely tight-knit, ultra-Orthodox Hasidic Jewish community and her husband in Brooklyn to move to Berlin after issues consummating the relationship and having a baby. There, she meets new friends and has new life experiences outside of her comfort zone.

So, is Unorthodox based on a true story?

Yes it isat least, for the most part. The show is "inspired by" the best-selling memoir U northodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots by Deborah Feldman, which was published in 2012. In a new interview with The New York Times , the author talked about what it was like to see her life adapted into a Netflix TV show.

"Its scary to give someone your story for the screen because you cant control it. On the other hand, I knew I didnt want a part in controlling it," she told the publication. "We had a lot of discussions about when can you sacrifice accuracy and when not. We agreed you can sacrifice accuracy as long as it doesnt impact the narrative."

The Netflix show isn't 100-percent true to Feldman's experience, though.

For instance, there's one scene in Unorthodoxwhere Esty explodes on her husbandthat she absolutely loved, but it didn't really happen in Feldman's life.

"She finally says everything that has been going on in her head. She finally lets loose: Its like a volcano... I also felt jealous because I never had a moment like thatI had many small moments where I tried to express myself, and I tried to speak up for myself, but I love how she just lets it all out," Feldman said. "It really touched me, and it made me wish I had been the same way. It made me admire her. I hope that other people will see that scene and want to be like her, too."

A scene from Unorthodox on Netflix BusinessInsider USA Images

The show also glosses over important details of Feldman's life in an Orthodox Jewish community.

"When youre watching the series, you dont really meet anyone far beyond Estys family. The community is there in the background, but it never confronts you. You have a rabbi, but you dont see her in school," she says. "You dont see anyone in the synagogue. Its not about explaining the world in which the story takes place. Its just about the story itself."

Emily Shiffer