At first glance, Rough Diamonds seems to be a standard Netflix thriller with debts, deaths, and dirty deals. However, this Flemish-Yiddish series happens to also be a compelling family drama, centered around Antwerp’s Haredi Jewish diamond community. The series starts the season strong with the death that puts the family into chaos. It continues the series’ suspense with the return of prodigal son Noah, who, like Godfather’s Michael Corleone, initially disagrees with the family’s orthodox lifestyle, but can’t help but be drawn back to the family business. As the family scrambles to figure out their dead brother’s debt, they squabble with each other in a dynamic reminiscent of Succession, with an added organized crime twist. The resulting mix creates an intriguing thriller series that also happens to be a nuanced portrayal of a rarely portrayed community.
When a prodigal son sends his family's empire into crushing debt, his estranged brother returns to Antwerp's diamond district to pick up the pieces.
After his brother Yanki commits suicide, Noah returns home to his Haredi Jewish family that he left in Antwerp, and his family’s dying diamond trading business.
Comparisons to Succession have been made for Rough Diamonds, and it makes sense as the family squabbles over what to do with Yanki’s debt, as well as the family business. There are some key differences between the shows. Instead of Succession’s media conglomerate, Rough Diamonds is, well, about the Wolfson’s diamond business, which doesn’t have the same monetary value as it used to have. Unlike Succession’s Roys, the main character and favorite son Noah has left the family, emigrating to another country the same way Michael Corleone has in the Godfather. There’s also an organized crime element in the series, as they are Yanki’s debtors. However, it’s the show’s portrayal of the Haredi Jewish community that makes Rough Diamonds stand out. The experience portrayed is very specific, and unlike other shows about orthodox Judaism, there’s a certain openness to the culture from the family’s outsiders Noah and his son.
Yes, there are corrupt diamond-related shady deals done by a Jewish family in this show, but the show actually takes a nuanced depiction of the community, I swear!
