A Small Light: Anne Frank's Protectors Wonderfully Portrayed as Both Ordinary and Heroic
By Karen Gordon
Rating: A
If it wasn’t for a Dutch woman named Miep Gies, we would likely not have had the privilege of reading Anne Frank’s diaries. Miep was the reason the Frank family, and other Amsterdam Jews, could hide from the Nazis for as long as they did.
Told in eight hour-long episodes, the historical docu-miniseries A Small Light focuses on the story of Miep and her husband Jan, and their relationship with the Frank family and other Jews they hid.
Bel Powley stars as the lively Miep (Bel Powley), a young woman in Amsterdam more interested in partying than in looking for a job. Under pressure from her parents to find work, Miep goes for an interview at a company run by Otto Frank (Liev Schreiber). Miep has no relevant experience, but she’s straightforward and honest, and, even better, she speaks German.
Bel Powley as Miep Gies and Liev Schreiber as Otto Frank see what’s coming
Frank has recently relocated his family to Amsterdam from Germany, very aware of the rising threat in their home country posed by Hitler, and the increasing oppression and restrictions imposed on German Jews. Facility in German being is an advantage, he hires her, and they begin to like and trust each other.
With her work life going well, Miep meets a young man, Jan (Joe Cole), a social worker, who she’ll ultimately marry.
Life is fairly care-free for the young couple and their friends, until the unthinkable happens, the Dutch army is quickly defeated and the Nazis take over. Life for the city’s Jewish population begins to deteriorate.
Otto Frank’s application to emigrate with his family to the U.S. has been turned down, and so he turns to Miep, now a trusted employee and friend for help. The building that houses his business has a hidden staircase that leads up to a large apartment. He wants to hide his family there, but needs her help not just to keep their location secret, but to help them survive, to bring them food and other necessities.
Miep, who has deep compassion for the Franks, and cannot abide what is going on, agrees.
Doing what she must to help the Franks, is extremely dangerous and poses serious logistical problems. Miep and Jan are navigating a new landscape in Amsterdam, controlled by Nazis, who have set up check-points and closely monitor everything. They conduct raids and impose penalties for any kind of disobedience. There are informants and spies everywhere. Just the simple act of buying enough food is a problem. They need ration books. And for a young newly married couple, buying enough food for seven people will draw attention.
As things get more intense, other Jews appeal to Mies for help including her dentist, (Noah Taylor).
For non-Jews, life seems to go on fairly normally. But the Gies are aware of the shift in attitudes by some of their close friends who start top to drop anti-Semitic comments into casual conversation.
A Small Light does a wonderful job of capturing the life and times Nazi-occupied Amsterdam, in all its shades and complexities.
In eight parts, the series paints a picture of a society that is pursuing daily life, while Nazi restrictions and attitudes begin to seep in to some of the residents. Others, like Miep, refuse to compromise their humanity and their morality, and put their lives at incredible risk for what they believe is right.
It paints Miep and Jan as both ordinary and heroic. This many years on, it’s a study in courage. But the production team does a remarkably good job of making the story feel contemporary.
Watching it, one can’t help but think about what’s going on in many parts of the world today, and wonder how far we’ve really come. And if the circumstances were the same, whether we’d have the same degree of courage.
CLICK HERE to watch Bonnie Laufer’s interview with Billie Boullet, who plays Anne Frank in A Small Light.
A Small Light. Executive produced by Tony Phelan and Joan Rater, starring Bel Powley, Liev Schreiber, Jon Cole, Amira Casar, Billie Boullet, Ashley Brooke and Noah Taylor.
A Small Light currently airs on Monday nights on National Geographic, and streams on Tuesdays on Disney+ and Hulu.