Waiting for Anya excels in several areas, including its performances and screenplay by Toby Torlesse, a young screenwriter who has translated Morpurgo’s book with genuine reverence for the writer’s work. But it struggles to find the right mix of darkness and light in its delivery, often opting for a soft lens.
Based on Michael Morpurgo’s novel, first published in 1990. Director Ben Cookson attempts to navigate the tightrope of bringing the horrors of the Holocaust to children’s drama. However, while strong in places, Waiting for Anya never matches the dramatic or emotional power of films like The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.
Jo (Noah Schnapp) is a young mountain shepherd who is continuing the Shepherding life of his father (Gilles Marini) in a small, isolated French village in the Pyrenees. However, Jo’s father sits in a distant labour camp after fighting the march of fascism, and his mother struggles to maintain a family life. Meanwhile, his rebellious Grandfather (Jean Reno) continues to fight for freedom in his own secretive way. This leaves Jo in a void of existence, one where he feels a duty to be the man of the house while at the same time remaining a mere child.
However, despite these challenges, Jo’s life is generally free from the horror and ravages of war. But how long can this remain, as the war in Europe continues to escalate? When Jo meets a mysterious stranger, Benjamin (Frederick Schmidt), a Jewish man in hiding, his arrival marks the boy’s entry into the war and the unveiling of its horrors.
As the distance between the Holocaust and modern life grows, the importance of exploring our darkest history becomes even more vital in filmmaking. Therefore, Waiting for Anya is to be commended for delivering us a true story that enables children to reflect upon and ask questions about European history and the Holocaust. However, while Waiting for Anya had the potential to echo the complexity of Au Revoir Les Enfants, it never manages to match Malle’s exquisite interplay between forced occupation, the Holocaust, and community rebellion.
Waiting for Anya excels in several areas, including its performances and screenplay by Toby Torlesse, a young screenwriter who has translated Morpurgo’s book with genuine reverence for the writer’s work. But it struggles to find the right mix of darkness and light in its delivery, often opting for a soft lens. This gentle approach is matched by a score that obliterates the film’s quiet moments of contemplation. Here, Waiting for Anya falls foul of the assumption that children’s movies need to soften the darkness of war rather than embrace a child’s realistic, powerful point of view, as seen in films such as Empire of the Sun. The result is a movie that, while sincere and carefully crafted, quickly stumbles in its dramatic impact and power.
Director: Ben Cookson
Cast: Noah Schnapp, Sadie Frost, Frederick Schmidt, Anjelica Huston, Jean Reno, Thomas Kretschmann
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