Anita B. (2015)

In the film, Anita is taken to live with her Aunt Monica and her family in Czechoslovakia where she spends her days trapped inside taking care of their son Robbie and telling him of her time in Auschwitz because no one else will listen. She soon falls in love with Eli and becomes pregnant, but when he pressures her to abort the child, she escapes to Jerusalem to start a new life for herself.The beauty of Anita B. derives from the remarkable detail brought to a simple and truthful storyline through incredible acting. Though most of the film simply shows Anita working through her daily routine, her emotions are worn for everyone to see and make her an extremely sympathetic character. Powell beautifully portrays the innocence of a young woman confused by her station in life and longing for some affection and security. Her superb acting is accompanied by that of Sheehan, who plays Eli. Throughout the story, it is difficult to make a decision about his character. At times he is lovable and sweet to Anita and in others he is so vile that it is impossible to understand how she could love him. One of the most heart wrenching moments in the film is when he tells Anita that the last thing he wants is to bring a child into that world. This complex moment truly shows the three dimensionality of his character. The death of his fiancée has destroyed his faith in the world and he cannot fathom knowingly bringing a child into the harsh society in which he is forced to live. The film is also incredibly well written and executed cinematically. The story clearly demonstrates that everyone at that time was effected by the Holocaust in some way or another and that there was no good way to deal with the aftermath of all that pain. Anita takes comfort in describing her experiences to Robbie as a sort of therapy, but Monica plagued with the guilt of a survivor, refuses to acknowledge that anything had even happened. She copes by blocking out the past instead of remembering and learning from it. Then there is David, Anita's confidante who follows the path of many young Jewish people at the time and decides to escape the death of his parents by going to Jerusalem, and of course Eli who has taken to pessimism and women in order to numb the pain of it all. Each character is faced with the challenge of trying to move on and the difficulty of that task is executed masterfully throughout the film. The film also transports the viewer into this time period through cinematic choices made to give it the look of a much older film. The sepia quality used not only ages the movie, but also creates an essence of darkness and despair that suits the time period.

Anita B. is tale of self-discovery in a post-Holocaust Europe. At the film's commencement, the eponymous protagonist travels to Czechoslovakia, where she is taken in by her aunt, Monika. In this new place, from amidst a medley of nationalities reconciling themselves with the enormous loss that the society has sustained, Anita grows close to Eli, her uncle's younger brother. Their budding relationship is convoluted and complex, just as the character of Eli is itself complex, and Anita's own attitude towards her burgeoning 'love' seems to fluctuate due to her uncertainty as to Eli's true intentions. Although this film is a story of how Anita comes to terms with her identity as a survivor, it is also a story of how she steps up to command her identity as an individual. She befriends David, a determined young man with an equally tragic past; Edith, her musically inclined neighbor who helps her navigate the path of love; and Sarah, who organizes the passage of Jewish refugees to Palestine. The film begins with spanning panoramic shots of the wildernesses of Central Europe, and, as Anita makes her way into society and a more populated community, the sepia-toned color palate functions as a comment on how the lives of the characters have been washed of color in the aftermath of WWII. As the film progresses, we begin to see this sepia palate juxtaposed by isolated colors' vibrancies – when Anita takes a chance and begins to decorate the walls of her aunt's home with colorful depictions of the countryside, for example. This growing appearance of color is proportionate to the sporadic blooms of brightness that are gradually pulling the characters back into normalcy. Aside from the aesthetically appealing cinematography, the relationship between Eli and Anita is the most interesting aspect of the film. Both Eli and Anita seem unsure of how to interact with the opposite gender – Eli defaults to crude force, and Anita, to submission – and their developing romantic relationship struggles to thrive under the pressure of convolution. We, as an audience, experience Anita's fluctuating mistrust and love and heartbreak as her interactions with Eli unfold, culminating in the accidental pregnancy. Eli straddles the roles of brother, father, and lover as he guides Anita through her journey to normality, and for this, Anita is understandably grateful. Her feelings of gratefulness develop into a misguided, child-like love as she gives into Eli's forceful advances. Even as Eli reveals himself to be outwardly violent and domineering, Anita desperately clings to the idea of love – something she has sorely been without amidst all of her terrible experiences. She does not realize that she herself has fallen out of affection for Eli until a kindly doctor reveals a courage and determinedness in her that she had thought lost. While the film's plot is, at times, slow, it does an impressive job of capturing the texture and tide of life. We need those moments of leisure in order to appreciate the dramatic shift that has taken place between Anita's life at the concentration camps and her life in her aunt's household. It is because the film mimics the sporadic banality of life that we understand how she has become so comfortable in her new life, and how hard it must have been for her to summon the courage to abandon it for her journey to Palestine.

The film Anita B by Roberto Faenza is a heartwarming, dramatic masterpiece. Shortly after World War II, a young Hungarian woman named Anita leaves the concentration camp where she spent the war. Anita moves in with her aunt Monica, a woman hardened by survivor's guilt, Monica's husband, their son, and Eli, Monica's brother-in-law. While Anita tries hard to remember her past, Monica fights to forget. Anita finds solace in her friendship with Eli, which quickly escalates into an unhealthy relationship. Anita's time in Czechoslovakia is marked by heartache and growth. As Anita finds her identity, we see her confidence soar. Despite the obstacles, Anita fights for what she knows is right and refuses to ever back down.Anita B closely follows Anita's life after her time in Auschwitz. Within the first few minutes of the film, we see the look of despair on the young girl's face, despite her freedom from the concentration camp. We quickly understand that she is orphaned and, much like we will see with her aunt later, experiencing survivor's guilt. Faenza's ability to convey so much in such a small amount of time only begins to show his capacity as a director. Anita's desire to remember the events of her life set up initial conflict between her and her aunt. Monica knew the horrors of the camps, yet ignored them in an effort to suppress her true feelings about recent events.Anita turns to her friendship with Eli in an effort to find an ally. Eli provides Anita with guidance and acts as a buffer between Anita and Monica by defending and protecting her. Eli's feelings toward Anita, however, appear to grow into romantic attraction and his lack of subtlety is evident to viewers. Initially hesitant, Anita feigns sleep and laughs off his advances. While her attraction is noticeable, her insecurities dominate her mind and prevent her from moving forward. Eli is a complex character, and his previous dedication to his fiancé shows that he is capable of the kind of love Anita craves. Despite this capacity, we see Eli turn into a complacent lover. Eli is fully aware of Anita's love for him, yet acts selfishly and emotionally distant. We understand that Eli's past had a profound impact on his character, yet it is hard not to get frustrated by his actions.Anita's story is told against the beautiful background of Czechoslovakia after World War II. We see pride and shame from Jewish characters, the fear of being associated with the Nazis, and the overall degradation of certain groups. Despite living in these conditions, the undertones of strength are evident. Faenza portrays a people not broken, but reevaluating what it means to be Jewish. The hardships portrayed in the film really resonate with the audience and make deep, personal connections with viewers. This beautiful film is surely going to be a hit, and the story is so powerful that it should be retold. It is important not to ignore or forget, but to remember.

Wow, I have no idea what the rest of you saw, but I gotta agree with enrico on this one. I saw this movie when I was visiting my girlfriend during her study-abroad program in Rome. We saw it together, and after the movie ended, both had the same reaction: "...eh" Yea, the picture is, generally, 'pretty.' But honestly, the plot moves slowly, it plods through -- I cannot stress how much plodding goes on... it's boring uneventful scene after boring uneventful scene, two hours of my life that i'll never get back -- until, MAGICALLY everything resolves itself. The protagonist is an overly simplistic, naive girl -- which makes sense, I guess, since it seems like this movie was written with an audience of overly simplistic, naive girls in mind. So. Thumbs down. It's mostly the script, guys. The combination of formulaic characters AND unfortunately slow plot.