Godfather Meets Shtisel in Antwerp Diamond Drama
April 23, 23
(IDEX Online) - Antwerp's 500-year-old diamond industry, and the Haredi (ultra-orthodox Jewish) community with which it is inextricably linked, come under scrutiny in Rough Diamonds, an eight-part crime drama now airing on Netflix.
Neither get an easy ride, at least in the early episodes. It follows the struggles and strife of the prominent (and fictional) Wolfson family, in a mix of (subtitled) Flemish, Yiddish, French and English.
It's been described as The Godfather meets Shtisel (a Netflix hit about a Haredi family in Jerusalem).
The Wolfsons' youngest son takes his own life, prompting the return of his brother Noah, played by Belgian actor Kevin Janssens.
He turned his back on his religion many years ago, making a new home in London's criminal fraternity - and returns to find the family business is on the brink of collapse.
He desperately attempts to save the business and protect the family's legacy and honor, but he and his siblings must first settle their own internal battles.
Pic, courtesy Netflix, shows Kevin Janssens (left) and Robbie Cleiren as Noah and Eli Wolfson in Rough Diamonds.