The Italian film Anita B., based on the autobiographic novel Quanta stella c'è nel cielo by Edith Bruck, tells the moving and often poignant story of a young Holocaust survivor, Anita, sent to live with her aunt Monika and uncle Aron in Czechoslovakia after the end of World War II. Even as a young adolescent, Anita survived Auschwitz, forced to watch her parents perish in the gas chambers. Although the movie does not explicitly recall the terrors Anita endured, we are given glimpses of her life in the concentration camp: at the beginning of the film, she is extraordinarily thin, has a partially shaved head, and is still branded with the tattoo she got in Auschwitz. Anita is determined not to forget her traumatic past, but she is surrounded by people who would rather move on. Her aunt Monika treats her unkindly, as a begrudging reminder of a life she would rather forget. Her uncle's brother Eli, who she begins a romantic affair with, scoffs at her need to talk about the past and tells her "it's over, forget it." The only person Anita can confide in is her young cousin Roby, who is too little to understand.
The movie takes a dramatic turn when Anita realizes she is pregnant with Eli's baby. Anita insists that she wants to keep the child, but Eli is angry with her, blaming her for the pregnancy and demands she gets an abortion. At the abortion clinic, the doctor gently asks her if she loves Eli, and after thinking on it, Anita tells him she doesn't. He asks her if she would like to keep the baby, and she tells him she does. Upon waking up from the sleeping gas, Anita realizes the doctor did not perform the abortion after all. Instead, he gives her the money Eli gave to him, and tells her to use it to escape. Anita is able to join up with other Jewish refugees, and at the end of the film we see her in a caravan "traveling light" to Jerusalem; she rejoices that "her only baggage is the future."
Although many films have been made recalling life in the concentration camps, fewer recount the difficulties and trauma for survivors that must return to "normal life" afterwards. Anita B. expertly conveys the struggle of a young girl who feels lost in a world she can no longer be a part of. The others in her life— her family and love interest— would rather her forget and move on, but when she attempts to do so, she realizes that she will never be happy living a life she has not chosen for herself. The movie could have ended very differently— although Eli was certainly flawed as a character, we still see that he cared for Anita. If she had been more complacent, she could have adopted a life like her Aunt Monika's: settling down, marrying Eli, and eventually having a family, all the while ignoring her past. Instead, Anita decides it would be betrayal to forget the past. She confronts it directly in escaping Eli with her unborn child, and begins the journey of creating a life for herself that she knows will make her happy. Anita B. is not merely a story about surviving, but also about thriving. We can learn a great deal from Anita's fierce dedication to pursuing freedom at all costs, both during and after World War II.
The movie takes a dramatic turn when Anita realizes she is pregnant with Eli's baby. Anita insists that she wants to keep the child, but Eli is angry with her, blaming her for the pregnancy and demands she gets an abortion. At the abortion clinic, the doctor gently asks her if she loves Eli, and after thinking on it, Anita tells him she doesn't. He asks her if she would like to keep the baby, and she tells him she does. Upon waking up from the sleeping gas, Anita realizes the doctor did not perform the abortion after all. Instead, he gives her the money Eli gave to him, and tells her to use it to escape. Anita is able to join up with other Jewish refugees, and at the end of the film we see her in a caravan "traveling light" to Jerusalem; she rejoices that "her only baggage is the future."
Although many films have been made recalling life in the concentration camps, fewer recount the difficulties and trauma for survivors that must return to "normal life" afterwards. Anita B. expertly conveys the struggle of a young girl who feels lost in a world she can no longer be a part of. The others in her life— her family and love interest— would rather her forget and move on, but when she attempts to do so, she realizes that she will never be happy living a life she has not chosen for herself. The movie could have ended very differently— although Eli was certainly flawed as a character, we still see that he cared for Anita. If she had been more complacent, she could have adopted a life like her Aunt Monika's: settling down, marrying Eli, and eventually having a family, all the while ignoring her past. Instead, Anita decides it would be betrayal to forget the past. She confronts it directly in escaping Eli with her unborn child, and begins the journey of creating a life for herself that she knows will make her happy. Anita B. is not merely a story about surviving, but also about thriving. We can learn a great deal from Anita's fierce dedication to pursuing freedom at all costs, both during and after World War II.