Series Review: A Small Light
In my last TV recap, I spent most of it raving about how much of an unexpected surprise season two of Dr. Death was. It got me thinking that maybe taking the time to recap a series/season once it is over might be a better format for me. So here I am, late to the party on a Hulu mini series that came out at the beginning of the year, and resurfaced with a SAG nomination for its lead actress, Bel Powley.
A Small Light tells the story of Miep Gies, who helped aid the Frank family in hiding during the Nazi occupation of The Netherlands. We all know Anne Frank's story, so seeing the lens shift to Miep, who was an extraordinary woman in her own right is a welcomed take on a popular story.
Powley's Miep is fun. She's talkative, sweet, a hard worker, and her report with Otto Frank (Liev Schreiber) is fun to watch. Even though the series hits the ground running with the Franks going into hiding, it does a great job of showing how Miep and Otto's relationship starts from an awkward job interview into a genuine friendship. Also done well is her relationship with Jan, (Joe Cole...Peaky Blinders hive unite!) who eventually works with the Dutch resistance in his own right. Basically the Gies were both amazing people.
The series shows a lot of what Miep and her coworkers did to keep the Franks safe. They're not completely absent from the story, we spend some time in the annex with them and the actresses playing Anne and Margot (Billie Boullet and Ashley Brook) are both wonderful.
Obviously, knowing what happens to everyone in the Annex, this series overall is sad. It's filled with many bright and amusing moments, but others, like when Miep gifts Anne a pair of shoes and tells her to "wear them on your first date, back to school, wherever you like" hits with incredible sadness. I found myself going back to a lot of Liev Schreiber's scenes as well. There's something so understated about the way he plays Otto, how he remains stoic while protecting his family. He really is not getting enough attention for this performance.
At 8 episode long averaging around 50 minutes a piece, it's perfectly paced and no time for mindless filler. Everything has a purpose. If you've got a Hulu subscription, I highly recommend checking this one out.
I think this was also available on Disney+ as I would like to see this as I'm sure it's a hell of a lot better than that Netflix miniseries with Mark Ruffalo from hack extraordinaire Shawn Levy. He's one of several reasons why I think Deadpool 3 will suck. Plus, I'm fucking tired of Ryan Reynolds and him being nothing more than corporate schill.
ReplyDeleteReynolds has been boring for years. The only part of Deadpool and Wolverine that interests me is them involving the TVA. And yes, this is on Disney Plus too! You should give it a watch.
DeleteI watched this last year and loved it! All the performances were great and I agree with you about Liev Schreiber. I have read Anne Frank's diary many times and thought they got the characters right. It was a refreshing take on a sad, sad time
ReplyDeleteIt's been years since I've read Anne's diary. This makes me want to revisit it, and read Miep's book as well.
DeleteI hope you saw my post on this. I loved this mini series. I saw Barbie and..it’s ok. At least it’s original but I don’t get the big hoopla about it. It’s wrong that Margot Robbie was snubbed for the Oscar but I don’t think it’s big picture category.
ReplyDeleteYes! This was excellent and I loved the new perspective.
DeleteI love miniseries and this sounds like something well worth watching. Glad it's on Hulu!
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy it if you give it a watch!
Delete