Anne Frank, Parallel Stories

Anne Frank, Parallel Stories
Available on Netflix
4.5/5 Stars

We all know the story of Anne Frank, but hearing it voiced in sections by the fabulous Helen Mirren makes it incredibly vivid and real. This short, but powerful, series on Netflix has Helen Mirren’s talent, and a whole lot more.

The series follows a young woman who is learning about the holocaust, and shows her text messages as she follows along in her quest to know more about it. Along with interviews with historians, you will also become acquainted with several survivors who experienced things similar to Anne and her family (thus the “parallel” stories.)

Although I am familiar with most aspects of Anne’s story, and the history surrounding it, I am always amazed to hear survivor stories. That alone accounts for a high rating for this series. You can sense in their voices, that their numbers are dwindling due to their ages, and their awareness that their stories are so critical for the world to hear. It’s obvious from some of their comments that they see the world spiraling, yet again, into abuses of “others” and that we cannot allow it to happen again. (Some examples could be how we treat refugees worldwide, the current White House administration in the U.S., the rise of neo-nazis and white power contingents in the U.S., Russia, and elsewhere, etc.)

The series easily gets a 4.5/5 stars. I docked it a half star because I found the text messaging aspect of the series to be sort of distracting and overly dramatic. I was much more interested in the survivor interviews, background information, and truly vivid cinematography and videography.

I think this series is an important one to watch, particularly considering things happening in the world today (especially in the U.S.) Sadly, I think that people think this sort of thing can’t happen again, but clearly it can (and it has!)

Consider watching it. Although it’s obviously not something that is easy to watch, I think it’s important. Leave me a comment with your thoughts!