#AnneFrank. Parallel Stories (2019)

#AnneFrank. Parallel Stories Poster

One single Anne Frank moves us more than the countless others who suffered just as she did but whose faces have remained in the shadows-Primo Levi. The Oscar®-winning Helen Mirren will introduce audiences to Anne Frank's story through the words in her diary. The set will be her room in the secret refuge in Amsterdam, reconstructed in every detail by set designers from the Piccolo Theatre in Milan. Anne Frank this year would have been 90 years old. Anne's story is intertwined with that of five Holocaust survivors, teenage girls just like her, with the same ideals, the same desire to live: Arianna Szörenyi, Sarah Lichtsztejn-Montard, Helga Weiss and sisters Andra and Tatiana Bucci. Their testimonies alternate with those of their children and grandchildren.

Overview
"#AnneFrank. Parallel Stories" is a gripping 2019 documentary that pays a moving tribute to the life of Anne Frank. Directed by Sabina Fedeli and Anna Migotto, the film eloquently weaves together an authentic, heartbreaking story of Anne Frank's life, her tragic death, and the uncannily parallel stories of five Holocaust survivors.

Anne Frank and Her Diary
The documentary spots a poignant story on Anne Frank, the famous Jewish girl who, with her family, went into hiding from the Nazis in Amsterdam throughout World War II. Her journal, in which she taped her experiences, ideas, hopes, and dreams, has actually given that become a universal symbol of the horrors of the Holocaust. In the film, Anne's journal entries are read by the Academy Award-winning actress Helen Mirren, who lends an additional measurement of realism and psychological intensity to the story.

Parallel Stories
While informing Anne Frank's tale, directors Fedeli and Migotto enrich the story by sprinkling it with interviews with 5 Holocaust survivors: Arianna Szörenyi, Sarah Lichtsztejn-Montard, Helga Weiss, and siblings Andra and Tatiana Bucci. Their accounts of living in concentration camps, losing relative, dealing with survivor's regret, and ultimately developing new lives after the award mirror the life Anne could have had if she had made it through.

Clarifying the War
The documentary stands out by juxtaposing the painful first-hand accounts of the survivors with Anne's brilliant journal entries, showcasing the terrible genocidal truth of the infamous Nazi concentration and extermination camps. Moreover, the film also draws parallels in between these previous historic horrors and contemporary events of anti-Semitism, bias, and hatred all over the world, acting as a poignant reminder that history can unerringly duplicate itself.

Informing through Different Media

Fedeli and Migotto utilize numerous types of storytelling media to enhance the effect of their narrative. Apart from the poignant journal entries and personal reviews, the movie utilizes historic footage, animated sequences, and drone shots of places associated with Anne's life and Holocaust to offer a visual context to the story. These include pictures of the hiding location in Amsterdam, the concentration camps of Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen where Anne and her sister Margot passed away, and the secret annex's model where Anne's household hid for two years.

Conclusion
"#AnneFrank. Parallel Stories" is compelling not just because it's a story of Anne Frank, however since it presents an essential reflection on the past. It unwinds a comprehensive understanding of the experiences, has a hard time, and resilience of those who endured the Holocaust, providing a context and deeper significance to Anne's life story. Although the dreadful occasions it portrays are from years ago, the film's underlining styles of prejudice, genocide, and survival still bear heavy resonance today, making it a crucial watch.

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