REVIEW: ‘Rough Diamonds’ Isn’t Flawless But Still Worth Plenty

Rough Diamonds is a Flemish-language Netflix Original series by Rotem Shamir about the Wolfson family, their diamond company, and the trials and tribulations of keeping it and their personal reputations afloat. Kevin Janssens plays Noah who left his Haredi family behind for a life in London. But when he returns home to Antwerp with his son Tommy (Casper Knopf) for a funeral for the first time since basically being excommunicated for leaving the community, he can’t help but step in to try and support the family business he was, in part, running from.

I am neither interested in the recent TV trends of depicting religious Jewish communities for spectacle with non-Jewish actors nor the trend of stories about people leaving orthodox communities. What makes Rough Diamonds stand out among these other increasingly trite depictions of Jewish communities is that it’s a show about a Haredi family and their larger community, and its main character is off the derech, as we say. But it’s ultimately more accurate to call it a show about crime and family that just so happens to be about an insular Jewish community. Its specifically Jewish trappings add a lot of good context and flavor, but really the show could be about any family and still cover the same general beats.

But because it’s about a specific Jewish experience, Rough Diamonds is all the better for it. The religious values and restrictions as well as the customs of the community dictate every action that takes place during this suspenseful series. Noah’s relationship to his estranged family, women’s roles in business, the timing of holidays, and the way the whole family treats Tommy are shaped explicitly by the show’s Jewish context and help make the family dynamics and community intrigue all the more exciting.

As a whole, the show is strongest when focused on family and the consequences of keeping secrets and grudges. The actual central plotline about the diamond industry adds a color to the whole show and gives the characters specific motivations, but the thread isn’t always easy or interesting to follow. Especially as Noah’s mother-in-law Kerra (Tine Joustra) keeps coming into the picture and shaking up his foundations. But the infighting between Noah’s brother Eli (Robbie Cleiren) and sister Rivki (Janne Desmet) over how best to fulfill their father’s vision for their company and family is the most consistently engaging. As is all of the time we spend watching Tommy become a part of this family he never new and the romantic tension between Noah and his ex-fiance Gila (Marie Vinck) whenever they’re together. For these components, much more than the diamonds, I recommend giving the show a twirl.

The beginning and end of the show are highly engaging and well-paced, but the show could have done with one or two fewer episodes. There are some earlier episodes that felt like drags as neither much action nor intrigue took place, only a load of exposition for subplots. It finishes off strong though with plenty of twists and a somewhat shocking ending. Knoof’s performance certainly stands out for how intensely he plays the role, and the chemistry between him and Desmet was definitely helpful in selling their somewhat farfetched scenario.

Rough Diamonds is a bit lacking in its main plot as far as diamonds are concerned, but it pulls ahead in the end and keeps you engaged with interesting family drama and the specificities of telling this story with a Haredi Jewish family at its center.

Rough Diamonds is streaming April 21 on Netflix.