TIFF 2021: Where is Anne Frank?
tiff 2021After his 2008 breakout hit Waltz with Bashir, director Ari Folman looked for over a decade for his next major project with some smaller experimental work along the way. Finally, 13-years after Waltz with Bashir, Folman is back with Where is Anne Frank? Taking the fictional character Kitty (Ruby Stokes) – who Anne Frank (Emily Carey) wrote to in her diary – and bringing her to life, Folman not only explores the history and legacy of Frank but also attempts to find a deeper thesis regarding both how the world has changed and failed to change since the times she lived in.
The first thing that stands out from Where is Anne Frank? is the genuinely stunning animation within it. Not afraid to play around with colors and style, Folman has pushed barriers before and continues to give truly stunning work on a visual level. Not just is the linework and framing of the shots beautiful but so is the world in its ability to convict emotion within the audience. From cold winter days where human faces will give a charming warmth to the Nazi's who are seen as monstrous figures of threat void of emotion or humanity, the animation is engaging and almost otherworldly at times, becoming some of the best of the year.
The film also feels rather worthy when it comes to the capturing of the troubles Anne Frank faced. Not afraid to show her adolescent charisma and personality, the film is haunting with its portrayal of her life – even if most of her later life is only mentioned rather than seen. Emily Carey gives a strong vocal performance that captures both the fear and spirit of Anne Frank while the characters around her also feel rather memorable. Whether it be her feud with the man she must share a room with, the love she receives from her parents, or a possible romance brewing between herself and another boy sharing her space, this group feels alive and their dynamics are surprisingly charming without ever negating the pain and suffering they are enduring. For audiences with only a basic level of understanding of Frank's life, the film will do a great job at introducing her story with audiences already familiar still getting plenty to chew on. This is because the film really isn't about Anne Frank.
While one absolutely could criticise the choice, and it definitely is bold, Where is Anne Frank? might tell the story of Anne Frank but really is about Kitty (Ruby Stokes). Kitty wakes up one day in the modern-day Anne Frank House and finds her own adventure separate from the story of Anne Frank, even if she has to keep the journal physically near her in order to live. Kitty meets with locals and runs from police in a somewhat confusing narrative switch that easily could leave many rubbed the wrong way. To take a real-life story as tragic as Anne Frank's and use it as a catalyst for a different fictional story is a major risk and, while it doesn't feel like the film ever becomes fully in bad taste, it will undeniably be a point of contention.
What does help is that the thematic weight of Kitty's story is rather poignant and relevant. Tackling the modern debate surrounding immigration and refugees, Where is Anne Frank? becomes a rather confident display of frustration and anger towards the hypocrisy of the culture both worshiping the story of Anne Frank in tragedy while acting in the way they do. The film argues that compassion and love should triumph the political inhuman debates happening, which is only further complex considering the Israeli director behind the project. While it is hard to say that the film fully feels like it earns this conversation, and especially its use of Anne Frank within it, it also is impossible to say that the points the film are making are anything but poignant and needed.
The main hurdle is simply its fantasy elements. Large portions of the film's 100-minute runtime are dedicated to Kitty learning about how she is able to live and coming to terms with the modern world in scenes that feel both uninteresting and unneeded. It is convoluted and seemingly random that Kitty is able to come to life and the film feels distracted by its own concept. Every moment spent trying to figure it out and justify it not only distracts the audience but takes away from time that could be spent exploring the thematic elements of the film and, overall, this side of the film feels quite poorly handled. Truly, it feels like there must have been a better way to tell this story and continually this is the worst part of the feature overall.
While Where is Anne Frank? is technically stunning and carries an important thesis, many will have issues with how the story is presented. The film takes risks and creates an original story that balances on a dangerous tightrope between being respectful and exploitive. While the overall feature feels like it sticks the landing, some are sure to be not only turned off but offended by the feature.
