Unchosen (review)

Published by Mason Oldridge, 27 May 2026

Netflix’s new psychological thriller delves into the world of an extremist religious community.

The ways of a reclusive and strict cult called The Fellowship of the Divine begin to unravel with the arrival of an escaped convict from the outside world, known as an unchosen.

The series delivers a gripping story with strong pacing throughout and no lulls along the stable narrative.

The complexity of the characters see our feelings for the different members change along the way, with only one remaining constant: Rosie and Grace need to escape. Molly Windsor and Siobhan Finneran each demonstrate a saddening defeatist vulnerability as Rosie and Mrs Phillips both struggle with the oppressive nature of their culture, while Adam grapples with being the authoritative figure he believes that he must be. The uncomfortable scene in which he rapes Rosie as a punishment solidifies him as a villain, though his weak and feeble character leaves him susceptible to manipulation and at odds with himself, a layered personality that Asa Butterfield conveys perfectly. Fra Fee is chilling as the troubled Sam as he switches from misunderstood to violent, with frequent flashes of his true self between. It is such a clever move to introduce him as a Jesus-like figure with a saviour complex as this creates a subliminal message that he is to be trusted, especially to a questioning cult member like Rosie. At first, we are rooting for Rosie and Sam and against Adam, before Rosie’s doubts prove to be justified. What is perhaps most impressive is how we are left to wonder how much Sam is just using the cult as a hiding place and how much he genuinely wants to repent. Elsewhere, Christopher Eccleston portrays Mr Phillips well as he masters both the respected and fearful leader he is at first and the shamed and disregarded drunk he becomes by the end.

Rosie and Grace get their happy ending as they go to see a similarly newly free Mrs Phillips, who is reunited with her son, while Adam is left to learn that Sam filmed their sexual exchange to manipulate him, all before a haunting final scene one year later reveals a menacing Sam is the new leader of the cult.

Unchosen will leave you hearing the name Rosie in a slightly deranged Northern Irish accent.

8/10