Knowing absolutely nothing about orthodox Jews I had no expectations about this series, which I started watching after the mini-series Unorthodox.
I only had the vague idea that a community of people who spend their lives studying holy books should have higher moral standards than the rest of us. Turns out, it was definitely not the case.
If on one hand I was disappointed to see that the alleged "saint men" are as prone to misbehaving as anybody else, it was also refreshing to see how intensely human their stories are and how easy it is to relate to most of them (not quite all).
We witness the pain of unrequited love; the fear of starting a new relationship after a certain age (and two deceased husbands); the burden of keeping a family after having married way too young; the grief for the loss of a devoted spouse but also the petty intrigues and the endless meddling into each other's affairs.
The characters are complex human beings, with defects and all: Akiva is a idealistic young man who doesn't quite fit in; Shulem the meddlesome father who would like to let the past behind but cannot quite move forward; Giti is the imprisoned wife and mother who must deny at all costs all her frustration and unhappiness; Lipe is also not quite fitting in but with no more wiggle room, etc...
Most interesting and very recommended.
I only had the vague idea that a community of people who spend their lives studying holy books should have higher moral standards than the rest of us. Turns out, it was definitely not the case.
If on one hand I was disappointed to see that the alleged "saint men" are as prone to misbehaving as anybody else, it was also refreshing to see how intensely human their stories are and how easy it is to relate to most of them (not quite all).
We witness the pain of unrequited love; the fear of starting a new relationship after a certain age (and two deceased husbands); the burden of keeping a family after having married way too young; the grief for the loss of a devoted spouse but also the petty intrigues and the endless meddling into each other's affairs.
The characters are complex human beings, with defects and all: Akiva is a idealistic young man who doesn't quite fit in; Shulem the meddlesome father who would like to let the past behind but cannot quite move forward; Giti is the imprisoned wife and mother who must deny at all costs all her frustration and unhappiness; Lipe is also not quite fitting in but with no more wiggle room, etc...
Most interesting and very recommended.