The Netflix series "Unorthodox" depicts the inner workings of the Hasidic community within Williamsburg. Characterised by strict conservative religious doctrines, there is a constant attempt to shield from any form of ‘outside influence’ which challenges the process of safeguarding the community. The protagonist is 19-year-old Etsy as she ‘escapes’ from Williamsburg, Brooklyn, leaving behind her oppressive religion and experiencing a new world with her mother, who also ran away from Williamsburg. Raising profound ethical questions regarding the role and rights of women, as well as issues related to sexuality and reproductive rights, particularly within the context of ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities. The show emphasises the constrictive gender …show more content…
Esty courageously asserted her right to make decisions about her own body and future when she decided to end her marriage and start again. The protagonist Esty and her misguided but devoted husband Yanky are shown trying to consummate their marriage on multiple occasions. This leads to a very uncomfortable scenario when he criticises her for her responsibility to bear children stating “[she] is doing it wrong” and then, with her clearly in pain, performs the conjugal act "successfully." Each of these scenes features both couples fully clothed, Yanky even wearing a tzitzit. The show makes a point of showing Yanky meticulously buttoning up his shirt after taking a shower before making his way to the marital bed, showing the lack of intimacy. In contrast, Esty fiercely kisses the smouldering but kind musician; she later finds sexual emancipation in his embrace, discovering that intimacy can be romantic and fun. However, men within this religion, including Yanky, tend to not know how to show intimacy, perceiving the act of intercourse and Etsy as a “baby-maker.” Evident as Yanky says "I don't know anything about women. If I could touch you, what would you like?" Etsy’s mother had similar experiences, with a drunken husband “who could barely take care of himself, let alone his family”. As Yanky and his cousin are ordered to bring her back to the community, they go out on a search betraying her privacy. Only making such a decision as they discovered she was pregnant. The sense of entitlement with the ‘child’ as the collective possession of the community, is what led them to reach out for Esty, but not for her own