The true UK cult stories behind Netflix’s Unchosen: ‘They’re living close by
Published By admin
When a young woman in a reclusive British cult has a chance encounter with an outsider, it makes her question whether life within the sect is the best thing for her and her daughter. That’s the plot of Netflix’s new psychological thriller Unchosen – and while the cult in the show is fictional, it’s based on the many real stories of genuine groups that exist in the UK.
The six-parter sees Rosie (Molly Windsor) navigate life within the Fellowship of the Divine – where technology is banned, men and women are separated during work and meal times and any outside literature is prohibited. After her brother-in-law is locked away and tortured for breaking the rules, Rosie begins to question the motives behind her strict, religious cult as her husband Adam (Asa Butterfield) rises up its sinister ranks.
The series is written by Intergalactic’s Julie Gearey, with the story informed by her research into real-life British cults. And it was this authenticity that drew director Jim Loach to the project.
“[Gearey] actually grew up in an area in the south of England where some people at school were going home to mums and dads who were in cults,” he told The Independent.
“I was really fascinated by that, because she’d spoken to people who’d come out of being in a cult about their experiences. I thought there was a huge amount in the script that resonated with contemporary society, and I felt it was a really brilliant time to do a story about people living in a cult.”
Before writing the series, Gearey spoke to people who had escaped cults across the UK, with many left “traumatised” by their time within the groups. While no one she interviewed is depicted specifically in the drama, some of the plot lines were based on what they had told her.
“It was important to reassure them as much as we could that, firstly, nobody watching the show would ever recognise them,” she told Netflix. “And, secondly, that whatever they had to say about the emotional experience of being involved, we would try to respect and reflect as truthfully as possible within the show.”
One true story uncovered by Gearey, about a woman who had been thrown out of a religious sect but missed it, proved to be particularly compelling for Loach, who previously worked on Lockerbie: A Search for Truth and Criminal Record.
Read more https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/unchosen-netflix-cult-true-story-b2960934.html
Content retrieved from: https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/unchosen-netflix-cult-true-story-b2960934.html.
