Hanneli and Anne
"I found myself becoming emotional by the end, realizing that these events really happened, and it's being told by a marvelous woman who is still alive to this day."
Hanneli and Anne is a touching film based on true events told by Hanneli Goslar, a survivor of the Holocaust who still lives in Jerusalem. Hanneli was one of Anne Frank’s best friends, so this unique perspective is especially interesting, and the story is well told. I’m impressed with the feel of the film. It’s very nicely put together. The film begins with a scene of modern-day girls taking a scarf from another girl and her sister. The two who lose the scarf are the granddaughters of Hanneli Goslar, and she is narrating the story, relating her experience to the girls.
The film focuses on the friendship between Hanneli and Anne. We see them giggling with their friends at the table about what they will be when they grow up, and we see Anne writing in her diary with Hanneli asking if she may read it. We see that Anne’s family is gone one day when Hanneli and another friend come to call. When Hanneli finds out that Anne and her family were at Bergen, across the wall from where her family was in the concentration camps, Hanneli goes to the wall and finds Anne. They converse across the wall and Hanneli tries to bring Anne hope and attempts to throw her some food over the wall. She makes several attempts. This is very dangerous for Hanneli, as she could be caught, and we see Anne’s health dwindling, and we see that her sister Margot is also struggling. It’s very sad in parts, but also there is hope. I can’t imagine how hard it was to live in that time, in those circumstances, and this film really made me think about blessings and attitude.
I really like how it’s narrated and how the actress portraying modern-day Hanneli is telling the story to her granddaughters, to give them perspective about the stolen scarf. I like that Hanneli is telling this story to honor her friend, who sadly did not survive the concentration camps, but whose diary was saved to share with the world. Even Hanneli finds that hope becomes dim, and promises made by the forces that be were most often not kept. A particular scene with Hanneli and her father is very touching, as is another scene with interaction between Anne and Margot. I found myself becoming emotional by the end, realizing that these events really happened, and it’s being told by a marvelous woman who is still alive to this day. What courage and bravery she lives is portrayed in this film in a way that I felt like the actress playing the modern Hanneli was the real Hanneli. I love how Hannah Pick-Goslar appears at the end, with a message for us.
The editing was good, and the background and ambient sound was excellent. I enjoyed the music too. It was beautifully composed and enhanced the story. The directors did a superb job with this film, and the cast was wonderful. I am very impressed overall and would watch it again. I hope it does well at festivals. I imagine that Hannah Pick-Goslar is proud of this film, and I commend all of those involved.
