I haven’t read Anne Frank‘s diary so everything I know of her I’ve heard through other people’s stories, and hearing the story of the Holocaust through one of Anne’s closest friends was absolutely fantastic.

My Best Friend Anne Frank follows a girl called Hannah Goslar who was Anne’s best friend before and during the Holocaust. We see the two girls growing up together in a time of such uncertainty and change and it’s really fascinating how this film humanises them so much and really makes you connect to them, because I feel so often we can forget that Anne was just a normal teenage girl with dreams and hopes and silly romances, and all of that is overshadowed by the tragedy that happened to her, but we can’t forget her for who she was.

In the film we see that Hannah was actually put in a camp next to Anne that was used as a bargaining tool for prisoners of war, so Hannah‘s treatment throughout the Holocaust was still absolutely barbaric but to a lesser extent, and I think it’s really interesting to see that side of the tragedy as well in that not all people were treated the same in these camps and it really came down to potluck, whether you were able to have somewhat of a life or whether you were immediately exterminated.

It’s very interesting to see how Hannah went on to live post-World War II and have children and saw that as her revenge on Hitler, and throughout her life she still thought about Anne Frank and looked up at the Big Dipper as they used to when they were teenagers. It’s a gorgeous tale of friendship and love and tragedy, and it’s so masterfully done in how it presents the information to us that really makes all the people involved so well rounded.

This film is from the Netherlands and at no point did I feel the language barrier between English and Dutch cause an issue. The story was so engaging and enticing that you felt connected to these people whether you understood them the whole time or not, especially as there are characters that do not have subtitles due to the fact that even the people that we follow can’t understand what they’re saying. It’s definitely a film I would recommend for people to watch and to step away from the usual English-speaking films that we are used to. It’s a brilliant portrayal of a tragic event that has been told time and time again but it really adds that extra level of humanity to the situation and makes you connect with the people involved so much.

What do you think of My Best Friend Anne Frank?

Until next time.

Published by shonaharding

Media graduate with a passion for reviewing film and TV. View all posts by shonaharding