★★★★☆
We all know who Anne Frank was. Her diary, published in 1947 under the title The Diary of a Young Girl, described the war and Hitler’s regime from a painfully relatable, human perspective. Anne and her family, German-born Jews, hid in the annex of father Otto’s office building for more than two years.
What you might not know is the story of how they survived in hiding. It’s all thanks to Miep Gies, an employee of Otto’s who not only helped to hide the Franks, but continuously ensured their safety and delivered food and supplies to them.
A Small Light is Miep’s story. The mini series is “inspired” by true events, meaning it’s heavily dramatised for entertainment purposes, but that doesn’t make Miep’s – and the Franks’- story any less compelling. Ultimately, A Small Light is a story of bravery in the face of the worst of circumstances.
Jan and Miep Gies, played by Joe Cole and Bel Powley, embrace as seen in A SMALL LIGHT. (Credit: National Geographic for Disney/Dusan Martincek)
The story begins with Miep attempting to get one of the Frank children, Margot, across a Nazi checkpoint. The scene plays out like a thriller; fast cuts and taut music amplifies the tension. Will the pair make it through without papers or will Margot’s true identity and religion be discovered?
Sadly, we won’t know quite just yet. The action jumps back to 1934 and we meet a much younger Miep. She’s young and carefree; she loves to go out drinking and dancing. Her adoptive parents are grotesquely encouraging her to marry one of the adoptive brothers, but Miep isn’t interested.
After finding employment with the strict, but fair Otto Frank, Miep’s future is set – she just doesn’t know it yet. In 1942, when the Franks are forced to go into hiding, Miep doesn’t hesitate to say yes. On the side, Miep’s husband Jan (Joe Cole) is also separately doing secret missions to help fight the Nazis.
What A Small Light does so brilliantly is make the war into something almost tangible. This isn’t a story of just one person’s heroics, but how anyone could be a hero. The series gets its name from a quote by the real Miep: “Even a regular secretary, a housewife or a teenager can turn on a small light in a dark room.”
Of course, the series speeds towards a well-known ending. We already know how the Franks’ story ends, but A Small Light focuses on Miep and how she is the reason we know Anne’s story at all. It was Miep who found Anne’s diary after the family was found by Nazi soldiers. Throughout the series, we see the young Anne, played by Billie Boullet, scribbling away. She’s like any regular teenager: frustrated, angry, funny and despite the circumstances, imaginative and curious.
The series’ true revelation is Bel Powley, who plays Miep with quiet fury. Powley combines a certain innocence with stubbornness; Miep struggles to understand why all of this is happening, but she sure as hell won’t let the Franks be found, not on her watch. Joe Cole and Powley share palpable chemistry; one that’s playful and feels authentic, a little worn even. Across eight episodes, they both grow as people while the Franks remain somewhat frozen in time.
Episode 3 is a particular highlight; thrilling and tense, the episode finds Jan tasked with retrieving a package, but his discovery amps up the tension considerably. The next episode features a magical moment as Miep ice skates alone at night. A Small Light remembers to inject moments of levity, humour and wonder into its narrative, which gives us a much-needed break from the series’ central horrors, which still feel particularly timely.
The narrative can feel a little stretched and it’s often Jan who is more compelling and his missions more exhilarating, but A Small Light is an important piece of television. It tells a vital story of bravery and resilience.
A Small Light streams weekly on Disney+.
