***Contains Spoilers***
Anita B is a movie focusing on a young girl recently freed from a Jewish concentration camp immediately after World War II. Anita is first introduced to the audience as shocked, confused and slightly lost. When we first meet her, she is starving and her hair is matted, thinning and very short. The movie follows Anita as she falls in and out of love, meets friends and searches to discover herself in the picturesque 1940's Czech Republic backdrop. Anita shows how difficult and trying life was for Jews in Eastern Europe directly following World War II, including the sacrifices and triumphs she discovers along the way.
The movie reflects 20th century Eastern Europe through displaying beautiful, serene landscapes and panoramic city views. The film is slightly under saturated and sepia, adding to its antique quality, reminiscent of old family photographs. The film is also shot in very beautiful, artistic ways that make the movie consistently aesthetically appealing to the audience. The actors are very good in this film, portraying characters that were lovable at times, and unlikable at others, creating a realistic family dynamic which the audience could relate to. I particularly enjoyed Anita's transformation throughout the movie. She began as a lost character that was defined by the legal papers stating her citizenship. Through the movie, she grew as a person, and at one point even gained confidence in realizing that she was Anita, with or without the papers. Anita begins to make a life for herself in her Aunt's house, raising her cousin, Robbie and falling in love with her roommate, Eli. Anita's presence in the household is somewhat inconvenient and undesired on Anita's aunt's behalf. Anita seeks Robbie out as an outlet for her stories of the concentration camps, having no alternate person to turn to, but is ultimately able to befriend a fellow worker in her factory once she gets a job. The character of Anita is very likable, as the young girl has obviously gone through traumatic experiences yet is still able to find joy in life. Her ability to take life lightly and have fun despite her circumstances sends a message of hope to the viewers, and serves as a foreshadowing for the future: that life will go on after the war. I liked the balance between the darker scenes, dealing with heavy emotional material such as when Anita is arrested for being caught outside as a Hungarian without her papers, to the lighter scenes where Anita feels freer, such as when she visits Eli's horse or the ending of the movie, when she acknowledges the impending happy future she will find in Palestine. Anita's character is relatable in her journey to self-discovery as a young girl and also admirable as she faces things that most Western viewers are alien to in this century. The movie depicts grave, heavy subjects yet is able to balance them out with happy scenes, and all while keeping an interesting plot to engage the viewer.
Anita B is a movie focusing on a young girl recently freed from a Jewish concentration camp immediately after World War II. Anita is first introduced to the audience as shocked, confused and slightly lost. When we first meet her, she is starving and her hair is matted, thinning and very short. The movie follows Anita as she falls in and out of love, meets friends and searches to discover herself in the picturesque 1940's Czech Republic backdrop. Anita shows how difficult and trying life was for Jews in Eastern Europe directly following World War II, including the sacrifices and triumphs she discovers along the way.
The movie reflects 20th century Eastern Europe through displaying beautiful, serene landscapes and panoramic city views. The film is slightly under saturated and sepia, adding to its antique quality, reminiscent of old family photographs. The film is also shot in very beautiful, artistic ways that make the movie consistently aesthetically appealing to the audience. The actors are very good in this film, portraying characters that were lovable at times, and unlikable at others, creating a realistic family dynamic which the audience could relate to. I particularly enjoyed Anita's transformation throughout the movie. She began as a lost character that was defined by the legal papers stating her citizenship. Through the movie, she grew as a person, and at one point even gained confidence in realizing that she was Anita, with or without the papers. Anita begins to make a life for herself in her Aunt's house, raising her cousin, Robbie and falling in love with her roommate, Eli. Anita's presence in the household is somewhat inconvenient and undesired on Anita's aunt's behalf. Anita seeks Robbie out as an outlet for her stories of the concentration camps, having no alternate person to turn to, but is ultimately able to befriend a fellow worker in her factory once she gets a job. The character of Anita is very likable, as the young girl has obviously gone through traumatic experiences yet is still able to find joy in life. Her ability to take life lightly and have fun despite her circumstances sends a message of hope to the viewers, and serves as a foreshadowing for the future: that life will go on after the war. I liked the balance between the darker scenes, dealing with heavy emotional material such as when Anita is arrested for being caught outside as a Hungarian without her papers, to the lighter scenes where Anita feels freer, such as when she visits Eli's horse or the ending of the movie, when she acknowledges the impending happy future she will find in Palestine. Anita's character is relatable in her journey to self-discovery as a young girl and also admirable as she faces things that most Western viewers are alien to in this century. The movie depicts grave, heavy subjects yet is able to balance them out with happy scenes, and all while keeping an interesting plot to engage the viewer.