Unchosen Review

Unchosen is a religious-themed thriller that features a tremendous cast of British and Irish talent, and it was both compelling and frustrating.

The Fellowship of the Divine is a patriarchal, conservative Christian sect based in Surrey. Within that sect are Rosie (Molly Windsor) and Adam (Asa Butterfield), a married couple with Adam being a rising star. Their lives are rocked when their daughter gets rescued by Sam (Fra Fee), an escaped convict. His appearance forces secrets to be exposed and starts Molly’s awakening.

I was drawn to Unchosen because of its cast. It had talents like Butterfield, Fee, and Eccleston. I have liked Windsor since her debut in the TV movie Unloved. The acting was the best feature of the series. The series focused on Rosie and her awakening. She went from a quiet, devoted wife and mother to a woman fighting to control her destiny.

The sect was old-fashioned to an extreme. Men held all the power, whilst women had to be mothers and homemakers. Men dressed formally and women wore plain clothing, covered their hair, and couldn’t wear make-up. The sect was clearly modelled on groups like the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Amish because there was rejection of technology: Adam’s brother, Isaac (Aston McAuley), was banished from the sect because he secretly had a mobile phone. Isaac’s punishment was being kicked out of his home and not allowed to see his wife and children. That was the danger for Rosie, but the sect was the only world she knew.

The setup for the series was strong for a thriller. There were emotional complications because Sam was in prison for a violent offence, but he did a good deal by saving a six-year-old girl. Rosie felt like they owed Sam, and Sam could use the sect to hide. There was the romantic angle because Rosie was drawn to Sam. He was new, exciting, and dangerous because he was older, tattooed, and had muscles. Sam acted as Rosie’s opportunity to explore the outside world, even though going into a town centre when there was a police manhunt happening would be a bad idea. Sam was also an escape from Adam: despite his boyish appearance, he was a cruel, power-hungry young man who disowned his brother and did something reprehensible to Rosie.

The first half of the series was mostly shown through Rosie’s eyes. She saw glimpses of wider issues within the sect. She overheard conversations between the sect’s leader, Mr Phillips (Christopher Eccleston) and his wife (Siobhan Finneran), where it was hinted that he did some terrible things and used violence when she questioned him.

Unchosen had plenty of intrigue which was compelling. The first half was really strong. However, Unchosen was unable to stick the landing. The series concluded many of the storylines in the worst way possible: I wanted to shout ‘bullshit’ at my screen because of the epilogue. Some storylines were left unresolved. As the series progressed, it became more ridiculous because of the characters’ actions and people becoming unbelievable. It stood in opposition to the series’ serious tone. Run Away, another Netflix thriller series, acknowledged it could be a silly affair.

The series was about Rosie breaking away from the sect, but there were moments that felt false. This was notable with Isaac, who seemed to break away from the sect with ease. Indoctrination is hard to break: it takes time for people to break away from their beliefs. There’s rarely a one-off incident that gives people a realisation.

Unchosen was a series that didn’t live up to its promise. The setup was solid, and the acting was good, but the series devolved into silliness.