“Unorthodox”

By Josie Takeshima Allen

Anna Winger, who wrote “Deutschland 83,” has made her mark with another foreign language hit, “Unorthodox.” Esty Shapiro, a strong-minded young woman who has never fit into her Hasidic community in Williamsburg, runs away from her life in a patriarchal and controlling society. The characters speak Yiddish, German, and English, mirroring the fragmentation within Esty. Although she never fit in, at first she is happy to be married at nineteen and begin a family. However, she and her husband, Yanky, are plagued by painful intercourse, which the women in Esty’s family blame her for. It is seen as her problem to fix, and the pressure begins to build. Her lack of freedom and objectification becomes too much, and she runs away to Berlin to start anew.

The story itself is compelling, but Shira Haas makes the audience experience every disappointment that her character feels. Another key part is the show’s avoidance of one-dimensional, evil misogynists. The misogyny of the community is shown, but her husband is worried for her well being. He wants her to be happy, even “allowing” her to take piano lessons from a non-Jewish woman. He is sent by the rabbi to bring her back, as having someone leave “sets a dangerous precedent.” When in Berlin, he struggles with seeing what the world has to offer outside of Williamsburg. The story is a beautiful and honest portrayal of two people struggling with what their religion asks of them, one person refusing to leave and the other refusing to stay.