Bel Powley, Joe Cole and Liev Schreiber lead the cast in the mini-series A Small Light (Picture: Disney+)
A Small Light tells perhaps one of the most well-known stories of the 20th century, that of Anne Frank and her Jewish family hiding from Nazi persecution in the Secret Annex – but you’ve never seen it from this perspective.
In a new eight-part National Geographic mini-series, Miep Gies (Bel Powley) takes centre stage as the secretary that hid Otto Frank (Liev Schreiber) and his family in occupied Amsterdam during World War Two.
The real-life Miep provided a lot of the material for this tale based on true events thanks to her own book, but – most crucially – she was one of the people who thought to rescue Anne’s diary after the Franks were discovered, arrested, and sent to concentration camps in August 1944.
She then returned it to Otto as the sole surviving member of the Secret Annex following the war, leading to its publication in 1947.
The show’s title fittingly comes from a quote Miep often used in educational talks she gave about her experiences in the war, emphasising the difference just one ordinary person can make by turning on a light in a dark room.
Writers and showrunners Joan Rater and Tony Phelan have expertly interwoven fact with a little dramatic licence in A Small Light, which never loses sight of the immense risk both Miep and her husband Jan, a member of the Dutch resistance, took during their day-to-day lives.
Schreiber portrays Otto Franks,while Powley is his real-life secretary Miep Gies, who hid him in the Secret Annex during World War Two (Picture: National Geographic for Disney/Dusan Martincek)
It tells the story of Anne Frank’s family from a new and true perspective (Picture: National Geographic for Disney/Dusan Martincek)
From its pulse-pounding opening segment, where Miep tries to rush Margot Frank (Ashley Brooke) to her family’s hiding place through a Nazi checkpoint, the series skilfully handles jumps backwards and forwards in time, alongside remaining a gorgeously shot and costumed period piece.
A Small Light also makes sure to include moments of levity to better illustrate the ups and downs of an era where your best friend could casually reveal themselves to be a racist or Nazi sympathiser and a body could surface in the canal.
It builds well on the affectionate but formal relationship that Miep and Otto Frank enjoyed in the years leading up to him being forced into hiding, alongside the sweet yet practical romance the initially carefree young woman enjoyed with her future husband, played by Joe Cole.
Although Anne (Billie Boullet), her sister Margot and mother Edith (Amira Casar) all regularly feature in the series alongside the van Pels family and Fritz Pfeffer, the stress and anxiety is more readily emphasised here for the Gies, and its effect on their relationship.
Joe Cole is outstanding as Jan Gies, Miep’s Dutch resistance-supporting husband (Picture: National Geographic for Disney/Dusan Martincek)
A Small Light doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities of living in occupied Amsterdam (Picture: National Geographic for Disney/Dusan Martincek)
Powley’s energy and likability is undeniable as one half of a heroic couple in Miep, made to confront responsibility beyond her wildest fears as the Nazis’ grip on the Netherlands tightened, which forced her and her husband into increasingly dangerous situations.
Cole is exceptional as Jan, a mild-mannered social worker who is seen slowly becoming more involved in assisting the resistance, and in particular spiriting away young Jewish children to safety in the countryside.
Powley is the beating heart of the show as the loving and decent Miep, trying her best in extraordinarily tough circumstances (Picture: National Geographic for Disney/Dusan Martincek)
He is the perfect foil to Powley’s more gregarious performance but allows the emotion to sit just below the surface, in a similar way to Schreiber’s quiet but commanding performance as Otto.
That we all know how this ends makes it no less affecting, with tensions piqued at multiple times throughout the series’ arc and emotions running high. After a slight wobble in the show’s pace and direction ahead of its climax, when it finally comes to the inevitable Nazi raid, it is almost uncomfortable to watch in its stress and sadness.
The final episode also highlights that Miep and her accomplices did not give up once the Franks and their associates had been taken, even attempting to bribe a Nazi official for their release at great personal risk.
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Despite the jubilation of liberation and the end of the confict, the poignancy of such a moving series remains in place as the characters slowly begin to learn what became of everyone during the final months of the war.
A Small Light is a well-judged and welcome way to reinterpret the story of Anne Frank, her family and friends, while truly honouring the sacrifices made and the legacy they left behind.
A Small Light premieres in the UK on Disney Plus on May 2.
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It focuses a new spotlight on Miep Gies, Otto Frank’s secretary, who hid the family in the Secret Annex.
