What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedDisobedience
Sebastián Lelio · Film · 2018
If you loved Disobedience, start with Unorthodox (Anna Winger, 2020) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 3 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Disobedience across media.
You were drawn to the way Disobedience explores the collision between individual desire and the restrictive expectations of faith-based communities.
Books on the same thread
The Awakening
Kate Chopin · Book · 1899
Shares 2 threads with Disobedience: Female desire, Self-discovery.
Like Disobedience, this classic examines the stifling nature of social constraints on women, capturing the internal struggle between personal awakening and the rigid expectations of a conservative community.
The One Woman
Laura May · Book · 2022
Shares a thread with Disobedience: self-discovery.
This story mirrors the central tension of Disobedience, focusing on the discovery of a transformative love that forces an evaluation of one's existing life and identity.
The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia
Ursula K. Le Guin · Book · 1974
Explores: Anarchism vs Capitalism, Social stratification, Scientific ethics.
While distinct in setting, this narrative echoes the struggle found in Disobedience between the individual’s need for self-actualization and the heavy demands imposed by an insular society.
Devotion
Hannah Kent · Book · 2022
Explores: Female Friendship, Forbidden Love, Religious Community.
If the religious tension in Disobedience resonated with you, this historical tale provides a similar exploration of forbidden love flourishing within the confines of a devout community.
Series on the same thread
Unorthodox
Anna Winger · Series · 2020
Shares 3 threads with Disobedience: religious conflict, cultural identity, self-discovery.
This series serves as a powerful companion to Disobedience, depicting a woman's desperate flight from the suffocating pressures of an Orthodox community to find her own voice.
Unchosen
Julie Gearey · Series · 2026
Explores: Forbidden Desire, Secrets and Lies, Escapism.
Much like the protagonists in Disobedience, the lead here grapples with the awakening of forbidden desires that threaten to shatter the carefully maintained secrets of her sheltered life.
Fellow Travelers
Ron Nyswaner · Series · 2023
Shares a thread with Disobedience: LGBTQ+ Drama.
This chronicle mirrors the emotional gravity of Disobedience by detailing a long-term, forbidden romance that must endure the external pressures of a judgmental and restrictive society.
Podcasts on the same thread
Unsent Podcast
Podcast · 2023
Explores: Unrequited love, Missed connections, Regret.
This podcast captures the same raw emotional vulnerability and sense of longing that defined the central relationship in Disobedience, focusing on the weight of words left unsaid.
Made It Out
Podcast · 2026
Shares a thread with Disobedience: self-discovery.
Building on the themes of queer identity present in Disobedience, this show offers a candid look at the complex process of unpacking and embracing one's self after leaving.
Common questions
Is Disobedience set in New York or London?
While the protagonist Ronit is a photographer living in New York, the primary setting for Disobedience is an Orthodox Jewish community in London. Ronit travels there following the death of her estranged father to reconnect with her past and her childhood friend, Esti.
What is the central conflict in Disobedience?
The central conflict in Disobedience involves Ronit returning to the Orthodox Jewish community that previously shunned her. Upon reuniting with her childhood friend Esti, the two women must navigate the complex boundaries between their personal faith and their rekindled romantic attraction to one another.
How does Ronit's past impact the plot of Disobedience?
In Disobedience, Ronit's past is defined by her childhood attraction to Esti, which led to her being shunned by their Orthodox Jewish community. Her return to London forces her to confront this history and the community that rejected her decades earlier as she explores her relationship with Esti.
Is Disobedience about a romantic relationship?
Yes, Disobedience focuses on the reunion between Ronit and Esti. After years of separation, the two women reconnect in London and reignite a burning passion, leading them to explore the intersection of their religious upbringing and their deep romantic feelings for each other.