A Small Light

We finished this 8-episode mini-series over three evenings. It is good one, a damn good one.

This is the Anne Frank story but told from the perspective of Miep Gies, a Dutch woman who risked her life to shelter Anne Frank's family from the Nazis for more than two years during World War II.

This is a superhero story of someone ordinary who accomplished extraordinary things. But if Miep were still alive she would harangue me for using the word superhero because in her view anybody can and should do what she did.

The Anne Frank story has been seared into the world's consciousness - a story of heroic resilience in the face of insurmountable odds. Years ago I visited the Anne Frank museum and I remember thinking how could a family of eight stay cooped up in an annex for two years and why didn't more people do what Miep and her husband Jan did?

The first two episodes are very easy to watch and I loved the love story of Miep and Jan. The meet-cute is a disaster but the second time they meet is magical. It is so easy to get behind them and understand why they did it. I kept questioning myself what would I have done if I were in their shoes. Would I be brave enough?

The last three episodes are filled with suspense to breaking point. So many eleventh hour tick tock nail-biting situations that make Mission Impossible movies a joke because it happened to real people. I know exactly what happened to the Franks but I was still hoping they survive.

Sorry, my words are crap. But trust me that this deserves your undivided attention and it is surprisingly not difficult to watch even if the suffering is unthinkable. I don't know... If I have kids I would sit them down and watch this with them because there are so many brilliant teaching moments, but that's me.

The reason this is called A Small Light is because of a quote by Miep who always ended her speeches with this: "But even an ordinary secretary or a housewife or a teenager can, within their own small ways, turn on a small light in a dark room."

I generally prefer to watch "foreign" films in the original language with English subtitles, because I cannot stand the pseudo, toneless, unsympathetic, dubbed American voices. However, I don't consider this a "foreign" film as such, as it is essentially a British production, and have no problem with the characters speaking mainly English - although some German is used as well.

I think those viewers who have criticized certain historical elements in the characters, their roles, language, personalities and backgrounds, forget that this is, after all, a FICTIONAL account, albeit based on actual events. As so, writers have licence to change incidents, characters, speech, behaviour and so much more, to ensure that the script works in a film genre, and that we have not only an instructional and educational series, but also an ENTERTAINING one which you will want to follow, week after week.

This certainly hits the spot. Miep is engaging, funny, cute, courageous and very, very human. As is Jan - an ordinary "bloke", trying to do a very boring job to the best of his ability, until he is presented with a life-changing challenge. The Frank family and their guests, are all wonderfully presented as ordinary people, thrown into a horrific, terrifying situation.

But to my mind, the most impressive role is Liev Schreiber as Otto Frank. I remember him "fondly" as Ray Donovan and in other macho roles, but here he is underplayed, quiet, with a gentle sense of humour, but a core of steel, just trying to do the best for his family under horrible circumstances.

This series is to be commended for bringing the unknown story of Miep and Jan Gies to the attention of the entire world, thus it's selection of English as the main medium. It is compulsive viewing and I can hardly wait for the final two episodes - even though I know how this tragic story actually ends.

I joined IMDB shortly after it made its appearance on the Internet circa 1993.

The production design is incredible. The cinematography is excellent. The acting is spectacular. The story is engaging. The historicity is exemplary.

I, usually, do not gravitate toward dramatic media. However, this production is so well balanced that I was sucked in very quickly.

Not once was I ever bored and anticipated every scene. The screenplay writers must be acknowledged for their incredible efforts.

I look forward to the remaining episodes and hope others will appreciate the great effort that has been put into this project.

I once visited the Anne Frank museum house in Amsterdam in Netherlands as a tourist, and learnt briefly about how a family tried to survive through World War II and the genocide. I left the place with questions - why didn't more people try to save the innocent? What would I have done if I was living through that war?

This drama film series, based on actual events, was released by National Geographic / Disney+ in early May 2023. At the time of my review, I have watched the initial episodes, and am now waiting eagerly for the remaining episodes to be released.

The main characters are well developed and deeply portrayed. Anne Frank is not the main character in this drama film; instead it is about the other people who were not famous (people like the rest of us).

Faced with difficulties, challenges and adversity, what would we do in similar circumstances? It's not always obvious. And so, when you see a main character make a right choice, to endure difficulty and to choose human kindness, it can be moving and uplifting.

The director, script writer, cinematographer, crew and actors should be proud of their work. This show, which covers a dark and fearful period, provides hope and meaning.

A light, no matter how small, can fill up darkness. That's the theme of this drama film - if each one of us can be a small light, whether back in history or in our current world, that's all that's needed to make the difference.

I've watched several episodes, and feel compelled to continue with this series, which is based on real people in Europe during World War II. The writing is effective and well paced. With the difficult themes, it would be easy for the writers to be overly sentimental or strong-handed with morality issues, but they've wisely avoided these traps. The script offers engaging dialogue and realistic scenes, brimming with empathy while reflecting the terrible dilemma of that time. I'm impressed with the cast, particularly Bel Powley, Joe Cole, and Liev Schreiber. The costumes, set design, and cinematography are all quite fitting.